City must think big to get ahead in Premier League

16 November 2010 11:24
| Submit Comments| Comments (47)| Printable Version1/1Play SlideshowClose MapCity boss Roberto ManciniIf you want to be the best, you have to beat the best, goes the old maxim. Manchester City have tweaked it slightly, taking the view that if you want to be the best, first of all you have to make sure you don?t lose to the best. That philosophy brought a hailstorm of criticism last week, when the snipers ? and a fair few City fans ? felt they showed United too much respect in a deadly dull Manchester derby. But there is a theory at City that the head-to-head clashes at the top of the Premier League can have a huge bearing on where a club finishes at the end of the season. If you can pick up a few points from the other teams vying for the four Champions League places, chances are you will secure a place in European football?s promised land. The key is to avoid defeat against the other four, but ensure you rack up the points against the rest of the league. That is why City so badly needed a win against Birmingham at the weekend ? a victory in that one would have made a point against United a whole lot more palatable. City first-team coach David Platt espoused the theory in the wake of the Blues? derby bore draw last week. He said: ?I worked for Sky for a long period of time, and they have the head-to-head table. ?Usually, it has a big say on who wins the Premier League and who gets into the top two or three ? sometimes it doesn?t. ?You have to make sure you follow it up and go and win games against the other teams. That is the mentality the manager has ? and he is trying to win the games. ?We have to make sure we are concentrated and give the same output, physically and mentally, against every team that is in the Premier League. We have to try and win every game and get as many points as we can, but that is difficult. ?After I came here, we had Chelsea at home, and you think ?This is a very important game?. Immediately afterwards we were playing Newcastle, and that is an important game. ?We went  to Blackpool and got a result from a match when we didn?t play particularly well. It just seems to be that every time you prepare for a game it is must-win. ?That is what life at the top of the league is about.? Results between current top four and Spurs, who finished fourth last season

Source: Man_City