Mancini demands City steel

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini knows his team must toughen up if they are to keep their Champions League quest alive.

City have made another disappointing start in the competition, having collected just one point from their opening two matches in Group D.

Alarmingly, according to Uefa statistics, they have allowed 50 attempts on their own goal during their opening loss at Real Madrid and in their draw against Borussia Dortmund last time out. It leaves them heading into the first of their back-to-back games against Ajax in the Amsterdam ArenA anxious for a result.

Mancini said: “It is better that we don’t concede a lot of shots, but we played against Madrid in Madrid, so it is difficult not to concede chances.

“We had a bad game against Dortmund, but it is important we don’t give away so many chances to score.

“This group is very difficult. We haven’t started very well, [tonight] will be a difficult game.

“People think it will be easy, but Ajax have a good young team and will play well. It is more difficult away from home.

“We can’t think before the game about not winning. We have to think about winning this game.”

City found themselves in a similar situation 12 months ago after managing just one draw in games against Bayern Munich and Napoli.

They went on to beat Villarreal twice in succession but still failed to progress from the group stage despite ending it with 10 points.

That meant that, despite their status as Barclays Premier League champions, City were again seeded in a difficult group — one comprising domestic champions — this season and they must advance to improve their coefficient.

Mancini has no doubt his players are good enough to reach the last 16 but it is a case of obtaining the results.

The Italian said: “We don’t have experience as a club, but all of our players have Champions League experience.

“Maybe as a club, we need more experience, but we have good players and that’s why we should be in the second stage.

“We want to play for a better seeding. We started the group so-so, but we still have a chance to go through — but we must take our chance.”

City will have to achieve their aims in Holland without playmaker David Silva, who remains out with a hamstring injury and has not travelled.

Defender Maicon and midfielders Jack Rodwell and Javi Garcia are also missing.

Mancini was non-committal when asked about his strikeforce and if Edin Dzeko might have done enough to earn a starting spot. Dzeko is the club’s top scorer with six goals. Mancini said: “It is always difficult. When you have four strikers like Mario (Balotelli), Sergio (Aguero), Carlos (Tevez) and Edin, you can’t play them all.”

Despite missing quality players, Mancini’s side will still be packed with star names tonight. However, Ajax coach Frank de Boer says he does not necessarily want such backing himself.

The former Holland defender, one of many products of Ajax’s famed youth system, said: “We have no money like that so we have to be inventive and creative and we try to use our academy to get good development of young players. That’s how we survive.

“I like it more that way than just buying them, even though that’s much easier. It’s a philosophy. We have a different philosophy.”

As four-time European champions, Ajax are one of the continent’s great clubs with a pedigree in the competition that easily outweighs that of City. But with the Dutch top flight struggling to compete with the wealthier leagues of other countries, the Amsterdam club are the outsiders in a group which also includes Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. After losing their opening two Group D matches, De Boer recognises the importance of the clash against City. The 42-year-old said: “If we want to stay in Europe after the winter break, whether in the Champions League or Europa League, we need a result [tonight].”