Mancini: It’s now time to reel in Reds
The champions ended January trailing rivals Manchester United by seven points but Mancini is hopeful of wiping out the deficit in the coming weeks.
City dropped two points as they were held to a goalless draw at QPR in midweek but Mancini thinks the gap can be closed during a month when United resume their Champions League campaign.
Mancini said: “I think when we arrive at the end of February, the gap will be very, very small.
“In every championship, never one team won a title in January. We should fight until April.
“If they have seven, eight, nine points [lead] in April, it could be difficult, maybe. But in this moment we have a big chance.
“Every team during the season has two or three weeks when they don’t play well, when their performances go down and they don’t score.
“Even if you have fantastic strikers, like the situation we had last year, there were some moments when we scored three or four goals a game but then didn’t score for three or four games and we didn’t know why. It could be the same for them [United] now.”
City will have to try to keep Luis Suarez quiet without defensive linchpin Vincent Kompany, the Belgian international having suffered another calf strain.
Meanwhile, Liverpool assistant manager Colin Pascoe says that despite failing to sign Blackpool winger Tom Ince after a month-long pursuit, the Reds were satisfied with their completed transfer business.
Liverpool finalised a deal for 20-year-old Brazilian Philippe Coutinho from Inter Milan this week, while they had already signed Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea.
“The targets we wanted we got. With Coutinho and Daniel [Sturridge] coming in, it enhances the squad,” Pascoe added. “We are very happy with the window.”
but the Italian yesterday took a firm swipe at English culture.
The 22-year-old completed his move to AC Milan Siro yesterday, and Balotelli pulled no punches over his turbulent two-and-a-half-year stint away from his homeland.
He said: “I have to say thanks to all the City fans because they’ve been very nice to me and they always supported me in the good and in the bad moments. And I have to thank my team-mates, and the manager. Everything else, I’m happy that I left England.
“Good things — only when I get to Carrington to train. So my team-mates and manager. And the bad things? Everything else.
“The press, first. The weather. The food. The way you drive. That’s it.
“To be honest the Premier League is an amazing league and I think it is the best. The crowd and the pitch... it’s an amazing league,” he said.
“I don’t know in the future if I could come back. For the moment I’m here.”
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