Share

City not ready to win: Mancini

London - Manchester City's expensive squad are not ready to win the Champions League, manager Roberto Mancini said ahead of his side's must-win encounter with Ajax Amsterdam on Tuesday.

Despite having several of the world's costliest footballers in their ranks, the Premier League champions have struggled to make an impact in Europe's flagship competition and are bottom of Group D.

Defeat at home to the Dutch league champions would torpedo any lingering hopes City have of qualifying for the knockout stages and represent a second consecutive early exit.

"I don't think we're ready to win the Champions League," Mancini told reporters after his team stuttered to a 0-0 draw at West Ham United on Saturday.

"If we say we're ready to win it, we're not honest. In the Champions League it's clear that incredible situations can happen in February and March but we've been drawn in a tough group this year, like last year."

City's last outing in Europe ended in a 3-1 defeat in Amsterdam two weeks ago and that result, together with a 3-2 defeat at Real Madrid and a 1-1 home draw with Borussia Dortmund, has left their future in the competition dangling by a thread.

Mancini's team have also looked unimpressive in their last three Premier League games, scraping wins against West Bromwich Albion and Swansea City before Saturday's stalemate with West Ham.

"We're a good team but we're not ready in the Champions League, like the other teams. Chelsea tried for 10 years to win the Champions League," Mancini said.

"They were probably the best team in Europe for 10 years and they won it (this year) after 10 years, probably when they didn't deserve to. They deserved to win it three or four years before.

"The Champions League is like this. If we win our next three games, then fantastic ... anything can happen. But the road is very long."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1814 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1774 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1082 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 459 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 186 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE