Platt defends Mancini

15 November 2010 10:00
Manchester City assistant manager David Platt has launched a passionate defence of boss Roberto Mancini. The Italian has come under fire for being too negative after successive goalless draws against Manchester United and Birmingham. Home fans reacted by chanting "What is going on" when Mancini opted to replace Carlos Tevez with Gareth Barry towards the end of City's latest stalemate. It seemed an unfathomable move given £18million Brazilian striker Jo was also on the bench at the time. Yet Platt is quick to reject any notion of Mancini being a defensive coach. "It is wrong for people to level at the gaffer that he is a defensive coach," said Platt. "He isn't, in any way, shape or form. It is too easy to look at it and say you have taken a striker off and put a midfield player on. It isn't a computer game. "We more or less camped out in the Birmingham half for the majority of the second half. But people felt because we were playing Birmingham it was three points guaranteed. It is never that in the Premier League."

Source: PA