Source: Daily_Mail
Roberto Mancini ready to take Manchester City to the next level
ShareIt's 10.15 at Manchester City's Eastlands stadium on Tuesday night and Roberto Mancini is fielding questions from the media. It is a familiar script as questions about his own future and his relationship with centre forward Carlos Tevez are interrupted by talk of the summer. [LNB]Mancini, as is his way, smiles, shrugs and gestures through 10 minutes of relatively gentle conversation. As usual, he leaves without having said very much of consequence at all. [LNB]In a nearby corridor, Micah Richards is also being interviewed. The England defender also talks of the summer; about the possibility of new players arriving and about the expectations that fall on the richest club in the world. [LNB] Over the Blue Moon: Man City players celebrate Champions League qualification[LNB]'It's not all about money,' says Richards. 'We have shown now that we can do this.' At City, it is always like this. Even the fact that Mancini has just guided his club into the Champions League for the first time doesn't really change the pattern. A year ago, Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp was feted for an identical achievement. No questions asked. Good old 'Arry. [LNB]In Manchester, though, it's different. Mancini has spent heavily to get where he is now. It was expected of him. Inside the club and in the stands there was a feeling of euphoria after Tuesday night's win over Tottenham. [LNB]For Mancini, though, the pressure and the expectation will just roll on. 'This is the way it is, as we are at a pretty unique club,' said a source close to Mancini recently. [LNB]'Fourth place was a target and it's good to get there. Ultimately, though, we have to look beyond it.' [LNB]Mancini - as phlegmatic as he is driven - is one of two things, depending on your point of view. [LNB] Unsung hero: Roberto Mancini has done a fine job at Eastlands[LNB]The Italian is either the luckiest manager in Europe, given the untold riches he has been allowed to spend on players. Or he is the man who can never really win, given that City's achievements will always be attributed directly to their enormous wealth. [LNB]Richards - an increasingly articulate footballer - touched upon it when he said: 'A lot of people were putting us down and saying we weren't good enough to reach the Champions League but we have proved people wrong. [LNB]'We are not stupid. We hear what people say. They are always having a go at us for spending money but look at us; it's worked. We have proved how good we are. [LNB]'I have watched a lot of Champions League. I watched Spurs this season and they did well getting to the quarter-finals. But there is no reason why we shouldn't do that.[LNB] High hopes: Micah Richards (right) thinks City can emulate Spurs' European success[LNB] [LNB]'I am sure we will invest in the summer and make ourselves even stronger again.' [LNB]Mancini deserves credit for taking City into Europe's blue riband competition. It was his brief at the start of the season and he has satisfied it with two Barclays Premier League games to spare. On Saturday, City contest the FA Cup final with Stoke City. [LNB]These are heady times for the club but for Mancini, in some ways, the road will now get a little harder. His board will expect a sustained tilt at the Premier League title before long - this season's ended with defeat at Manchester United in mid-February - and he must also ensure City's stay in the Champions League is a little longer than Tottenham's one-season expedition. [LNB]And here is the crux of the summer's issue. Mancini believes his squad needs improving - at least four top-level players - if it is to withstand a campaign to be fought on two fronts next season. Chief executive Garry Cook and football administrator Brian Marwood, however, would like to see some high-earning players go out of the door first. [LNB] Ready for the next level: Mancini salutes the Eastlands crowd[LNB]The City manager is not stupid. He understands the economics that are at play and is aware - like Cook and Marwood - that UEFA will this autumn start to monitor the activities of clubs which are believed to be at risk of breaking the Financial Fair Play guidelines due to come into force at the end of the 2012-13 financial year. [LNB]The sale of Tevez - that is now likely - will free up some ?250,000 a week in wages and could bring in as much as ?50m in cash. The Argentinian, though, will be devilishly hard to replace. [LNB]Some City fans have pointed to recent wins over United and Blackburn as evidence that their team can cope without the captain. A subsequent defeat at Everton and Tuesday's rather unconvincing struggle against Spurs provided evidence to the contrary. [LNB]Mancini would understandably like to shift high earners such as Emmanuel Adebayor, Craig Bellamy, Shay Given, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Wayne Bridge before losing his captain, whatever the continued stresses and strains of their relationship. [LNB] Future in the balance: Mancini embraces captain Carlos Tevez[LNB]But unless the club are prepared to take huge hits on the sums they paid for these players - they cost more than ?60m between them - then it could be a very long summer indeed. [LNB]Mancini's record in the market since he arrived at Eastlands 18 months ago has been hit and miss. [LNB]Players such as David Silva, Yaya Toure and James Milner have impressed. Others such as Edin Dzeko and Jerome Boateng have not yet been consistently convincing. [LNB]The former Inter Milan coach has, however, had the courage to make tough decisions. City never looked back once he had shunted the Brazilian Robinho to Milan and the call he made to begin the season with Joe Hart in goal (36 appearances, 33 goals conceded) has proved to be a decisive one.[LNB] Inspired decision: Joe Hart has had a fine season[LNB] [LNB]The City manager's resolve remains strong, as does his self-belief. It will need to be. His spiky relationship with Cook and Marwood will be tested over the coming weeks as he looks to further shape the club in his own image. [LNB]For Mancini, the questions will always come his way before the plaudits. Winning the FA Cup on Saturday would change the pattern. For a while.[LNB] EXCLUSIVE: Mancini looking to beat Man United to Rodwell signatureCity trigger Champions League spree by eyeing Fabregas and IbrahimovicTevez faces burnout as Argentina refuse to rule out Copa America selectionAll the latest Man City news, features and opinion[LNB] Explore more:People: Shay Given, Craig Bellamy, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Harry Redknapp, David Silva, Wayne Bridge, Edin Dzeko, Joe Hart, Carlos Tevez, James Milner, Roberto Mancini, Emmanuel Adebayor Places: Manchester, Milan, United Kingdom, Europe
