Source: Daily_Mail
Mancini insists January is crunch time as Manchester City seek silverware
Time to deliver: Mancini is relishing a big month[LNB]Roberto Mancini believes how Manchester City emerge from January will determine their chances of success this season. [LNB]Having started the month with a hard-fought FA Cup win at Middlesbrough, City now move on to the first leg of their eagerly-awaited Carling Cup semi-final against a Manchester United side still smarting from that shock defeat by Leeds. [LNB]A place at Wembley will be sealed by one of the old rivals in a fortnight, after which City will visit Scunthorpe in the FA Cup fourth round. [LNB]Three additional Premier League games, two of which are away from Eastlands, also have to be completed during a period when Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor will be absent at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Shaun Wright-Phillips, Nedum Onuoha, Wayne Bridge and Joleon Lescott are all currently sidelined with injuries of varying degrees. [LNB]Mancini is making an effort to solve that problem by recruiting Patrick Vieira on loan.[LNB] However, the situation is not exactly perfect, which is why the Italian feels the month as a whole will be so vital. [LNB]'It is important we get through this month,' he said. 'If we can do that, the future for us is good because then we will have all the injured players back. [LNB]'Hopefully it will be possible for us to get into the top four. But it all depends on what happens in January.'[LNB] Cup cracker: Benjani fired City through against Middlesbrough on Saturday[LNB] Arsenal legend Vieira to join Manchester City on loan next week from Inter MilanJonny Evans warns Manchester City to expect United backlash in Carling Cup clashMANCHESTER CITY v Man United: Dedryk Boyata to be given the nod for derby clashMan City must beat United as nobody remembers losers, warns GivenRoberto Mancini: Forget new signings at Manchester City, first we must pile more cup misery on Manchester UnitedMANCHESTER CITY FC
