Mancini is a results man

December 21, 2009

It may be good entertainment but new Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini will not have enjoyed watching their 4-3 win over Sunderland on Saturday.

The uncomfortable nature of his appointment, with Mark Hughes taking charge of the game knowing he was sacked, will be a minor thought to the Italian now he has seen the challenge ahead of him.

Mancini won three Serie A titles at Inter Milan largely because of a miserly defence. City’s backline must now prepare themselves for some hard work on the training ground.

His Inter side was far from pretty, often relying on long balls up to Zlatan ibrahimovic, but it was mightily effective and Jose Mourinho is now reaping the rewards at the san Siro.

Quite how City’s plethora of forwards will fit into Mancini’s pragmatic approach is anyone’s guess. Perhaps in his year away from the game he has decided to play a more expansive style but with the club’s owners showing how ruthless they are by ditching Hughes so early, Mancini does not have time to leak goals and play an open game.

The 45-year-old has shown he is vulnerable to pressure. His bizarre resignation after Inter lost to Liverpool in the Champions League last 16 in 2008 is proof of that. He changed his mind but was sacked anyway by Inter owner Massimo Moratti, who believed his coach had lost his bottle.

Mancini will need a lot of that in Manchester to continue his impressive run of results.

PHOTO: REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

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