THE man who started Manchester City on the glory trail expects that decade to be crowned with the ultimate glory this week.
Roberto Mancini will never be forgotten at the Etihad, especially by those fans there to watch Sergio Aguero’s title-winning moment of magic in 2012.
AP:Associated PressRoberto Mancini with the FA Cup in 2011[/caption]
He lifted the Premier League title a year later in 2012News Group Newspapers Ltd
The Italian, 59, is now in charge of the Saudi Arabian national team, with an Asian Cup and the 2026 World Cup in his sights.
But as Pep Guardiola’s City landed in Jeddah as hot favourites to lift the Club World Cup title for the first time in their history, Mancini downplayed his own role in the club’s rise.
Many argue Mancini laid the foundations without which Pep would not have been able to add the glittering roof and adornments.
The ex-Italy striker, though, dismissed the idea he was the “father” of the project.
Mancini said: “In that time it was very difficult. We won trophies, yes, but I was not the father. The father was the president of this team. I was the manager.
“I was very happy that it was the first title win for so many years but Sheikh Mansour and Khaldoon Al-Mubarak were the most important people there, not me.
“Of course I remember that day, that match against QPR and everything that happened.
“I remember looking around near the end when some of the fans were so upset and disappointed that they started to leave with just a minute or so to go.
“And then everybody wanted to come back in when it all changed. We deserved to win that title because we played very, very well. We deserved it.”
I was very happy that it was the first title win for so many years but Sheikh Mansour and Khaldoon Al-Mubarak were the most important people there, not me.
Roberto Mancini
Just as City’s owners promised, that title win — following on from the FA Cup final victory over Stoke 12 months earlier — was just the start.
Mancini added: “I did believe it was the beginning of something.
“I believed it because Manchester City had so many fantastic people behind the project, people who helped the manager and knew what they would need to do if they wanted to win everything.”
Erling Haaland’s goalscoring feats have caused defenders across Europe to quake in their boots.
The Norwegian will be the biggest weapon, with City expected to face Brazilians Fluminense in Friday’s final — although City first have to get past Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds tomorrow.
Yet Mancini insisted he would not necessarily have swapped Haaland for any of Aguero, Edin Dzeko, Mario Balotelli or even Carlos Tevez.
And he believed the Italian defensive greats he himself played with and against would have found a way to control Haaland.
He said: “I had fantastic strikers in my time. It was not just Aguero but also Djeko, Balotelli, Tevez.
“In the last ten years City have made themselves into one of the best teams in Europe because they had very good players, not only the strikers but in midfield and defence as well.
AFPMancini is now Saudi Arabia’s head coach[/caption]
“But if you ask how the likes of Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini or Pietro Vierchowod would do against Haaland, we are talking about fantastic defenders from my era, about some of the best defenders ever.
“There aren’t any defenders like them today. These players were so good, so strong, that they could have played in today’s football and still been great.
“Yes, football has changed a lot from my day as a striker. In that time, you were allowed to be a strong, physical defender, more than in today’s football.
“But they were also very clever players, not only strong. They could have adapted to how football is now.”
Nevertheless, Mancini, who believes Saudi football will become a potential powerhouse over the next ten years, is backing City to triumph this week.
The Italian added: “You have to look at everything about City — the quality, the pace, the power, the tactics. Everything. The whole package makes them the best team.
“They will be playing in a fantastic stadium with a good pitch and it should be City versus Fluminense in the final — although that is not guaranteed.
“They have Pep, who is one of the best managers in the world. He is a very demanding coach but all the best managers are like that — they always want to improve, their team and themselves.
“And if you have a chance to manage all these players it is very good. You have the chance to win if you have very good players.”
Mancini eyes crowning glory
ROBERTO MANCINI is desperate to bring success to the Saudi national side — so he can meet the man making it possible, writes MARTIN LIPTON.
Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman is a driving force behind the newly energised Saudi Pro League and leads the country’s ambition to host the 2034 Fifa World Cup.
But despite Mancini’s high-profile recruitment as national team coach, he said: “I’ve not met the Crown Prince yet. Maybe if we win the Asian Cup in Qatar next month he will invite me over?
“There are 36 million people in Saudi, many of them football fans.
“And they are crazy about the game.”
Around 80 per cent of the population play or follow the beautiful game and youth football funding is up by 162 per cent since 2021.
There are now 5,500 registered coaches, of which over 1,000 are women, with the aim to increase that to 8,000 by 2025.
Ex-Manchester City boss Mancini added: “Saudi is one of the highest-growth-potential countries in world football and will be a very important country for the next few years.
“That is why we want to work with young players who we can improve a lot in the next three or four years.
“As a national team we need time because it’s not easy to win very fast.
“But we want to improve. It is very important to world football that we have many countries with a strong team.”
Saudi fans in Qatar last winter were left in disbelief as their heroes kicked off the World Cup by beating eventual winners Argentina.
But Mancini said: “What is more important, for any team, is to win a trophy rather than just one game.”
The mega-money launch of the Saudi Pro League has also reverberated around the globe, with Cristiano and Karim Benzema among the top stars.
Mancini, who has City legend Yaya Toure as his assistant coach, said: “Football is one of the most important things in this country and it will grow very, very fast.
“It’s important they can sign other players if we want to develop the game.”