标题: 曼城欧冠首胜的二则外电评价 - 曼城更需要阿奎罗 [打印本页] 作者: 乔治六世 时间: 2011-10-21 11:13 标题: 曼城欧冠首胜的二则外电评价 - 曼城更需要阿奎罗 第一则赛后综述, 来自《每日邮报》
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There's hope for Manchester City, so let's bang the drums for Roberto Mancini
By Ian Ladyman
Last updated at 12:57 PM on 19th October 2011
[size=1.2em]A member of the influential band The Stone Roses once said they would not play another gig until Manchester City had won the Champions League.
[size=1.2em]The group revealed they have reformed and will play two concerts in Heaton Park next year before this encounter.
[size=1.2em]The musician in question — the Roses’ bass guitarist Mani — happens to be a United fan. He’s had no reason to worry about City success in the 15 years since the band split and, with half of this group stage now behind us, he will not be too concerned that his team’s rivals are ready to conquer Europe.
[size=1.2em]But City’s relative struggle in the Champions League should not unnecessarily trouble anyone.
Lying in wait: Sargio Aguero (second right) pounces on Pablo Zabaleta's cross to give Manchester City a Champions League lifeline
[size=1.2em]Roberto Mancini and his players may not win the competition this season but, given the progress made under their Italian coach, it seems inconceivable that they will not have a profound impact in Europe for years to come.
[size=1.2em]City have not looked comfortable in the Champions League. Mancini has never thrived as a coach in Europe and it appears its intricacies still trouble him.
[size=1.2em]Three weeks ago in Munich, he picked the wrong team and his side lost 2-0. Here he was forced into a tactical reshuffle after half an hour.
[size=1.2em]However, regardless of what happens between now and early December in Group A, it should not be allowed to impact on Mancini’s long-term standing at the Etihad Stadium.
Back-slapping: Mancini pats substitute Aguero after a job well done
[size=1.2em]He, after all, is the man who took City into the Champions League. He is the man who will take City across town to Old Trafford as Barclays Premier League leaders on Sunday.
[size=1.2em]As he previewed this tie in a tent at City’s training ground on Monday morning, Mancini declared he would like ‘four more years’ at City.
[size=1.2em]And if the club’s Middle Eastern owners are as committed to long-term strategy and stability as they say they are, they should invite their manager out to Abu Dhabi as quickly as possible, put a pen in his hand and ask him to sign.
[size=1.2em]Mancini is a likeable coach but he can also be demanding, sensitive and capricious. As he continues to move City forward he will, without doubt, receive offers from Italy.
[size=1.2em]With all this in mind, it is surely time for City to ring-fence what they have. Mancini will have 18 months left on his contract at City this Christmas and, for a manager of his standing, it is not long enough.
Anxious moments: Mancini (left), Brian Kidd and David Platt saw City go 1-0 down after four minutes
[size=1.2em]The match was a rather nervy affair. An opening draw here against Napoli and the miserable night in Munich meant this match contained drama one would not normally associate with the third group game of the competition.
[size=1.2em]It may yet pale into insignificance, however, compared to what faces City in Naples on November 22. With the Serie A team drawing with Bayern, it would appear that City’s game on the Mediterranean coast may represent a knockout tie.
[size=1.2em]Mancini spoke about winning the group after Sergio Aguero’s 93rd-minute winner.
[size=1.2em]Certainly that’s possible. The touch off the Argentine’s toe-end has changed the landscape of the competition for Mancini ’s team.
[size=1.2em]However, progress to the next stage must be the priority and that, in itself, may yet be beyond them.
[size=1.2em]If City do fail to progress from the first stage of the Champions League this season, the disappointment will be enormous. It will also represent a blow to City’s planning as they look to get their books in order in advance of UEFA bringing in their Financial Fair Play rules.
Emotional release: Edin Dzeko hails Aguero after his winner
[size=1.2em]An early exit is not something Mancini will be allowed to get away with more than once. This competition really is that important, on and off the field.
[size=1.2em]But in terms of Mancini’s position as he approaches his second anniversary in charge, it really should not affect anything.
[size=1.2em]A serious tilt at the Premier League would serve as decent compensation, after all.作者: 乔治六世 时间: 2011-10-21 11:13 本帖最后由 乔治六世 于 2011-10-21 11:24 编辑
Manchester City's Sergio Agüero celebrates his late winner against Villarreal. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters
1 City are starting to look at home in Europe
Five years ago, when asked if the Stone Roses might ever reform, their bass player, Gary "Mani" Mounfield (a man of firm Manchester United origins), gloatingly declared that it would happen "the day after Man City win the European Cup". Instead, it happened just as City won their first game in the competition and, in the process, established a decent position to qualify for the last 16. They cut it close and the truth is it was, for the most part, a flat performance, but Sergio Agüero's late and decisive goal totally changed the picture in Group A.
2 Roberto Mancini is not afraid of admitting when he's got things wrong
The clock said 39 minutes when the electronic board confirmed that Adam Johnson was going to play no further part. This is one of the worst humiliations for a footballer: being substituted inside the first half, although he later revealed that it was a tactical decision rather than a judgement on the player's performance. Roberto Mancini has shown many times that he is not afraid of taking a hard line when he suspects a player is not clicking or if his tactics are wrong.
3 Edin Dzeko is struggling
He has scored seven times in nine starts for City this season and he has played a significant part in making sure that the Carlos Tevez saga has not caused too much damage. Yet there remains the sense that City are not playing to Dzeko's strengths. Mancini does not operate with orthodox wingers, preferring to play a left-footed player on the right and vice versa. The tendency is for the wingers to come inside on to their stronger foot, which can make it a narrow system. Dzeko had a poor game and appears to have lost a bit of confidence since his recent fall-out with Mancini but he has said he would benefit from a more regular supply of crosses – "Every striker is stronger when he plays with wingers" – and it was probably no surprise that his best chances came from wide deliveries.
4 The jury is out on Operation One End
Someone at City has had the idea to improve the atmosphere by creating a "singing section" behind the goal where the away fans usually sit. Villarreal's tiny band of supporters were moved to the third tier of the East Stand and the experiment, if deemed a success, will lead to a permanent switch. Not all of the City fans are behind the move, however. The noise was good but decibel levels at the Etihad Stadium have vastly increased over the last year anyway. The decision-makers need a rethink: sticking the away fans in the most remote corner of the ground has the potential to harm the atmosphere, rather than enhance it. A better idea would be to do so solely on the occasions when the away following is so small.
5 A fully fit Sergio Agüero is a necessity
Villarreal defended stoutly and with Mario Balotelli suspended and David Silva flickering only in short spells, one of the disappointments for City was their lack of creativity in telling areas. This, perhaps, was the first time they could have done with Tevez, someone to take the ball, put his head down and drive towards goal. But City have a new hero these days. Agüero came on for the last half-hour and was only on the edges for much of that time. But his late, dramatic contribution could not have come at a better moment.