Andy Cole has hit out against former team Man City and their style of football.
Often criticised for their brand of football many City fans feel their FA Cup win last Saturday vindicated Mancini and his tactics but striker Andy Cole, who played for both Manchester teams, has not been impressed and questions whether City can ever be real title contenders playing the way they do.
The striker, whose son is on City’s books, said:
“They’ll be up there, but challenging realistically to win it playing the way they do? I don’t think the Premier League can be won the way they play football.
“You can’t go to the Emirates, come away with a draw, and think that’s a good result.
“Manchester United can’t come to Eastlands with you sitting back and being delighted with a draw when you’re the home team.
“We’re totally different to the Italian league. Here, you must score goals, people want to be on the edge of their seats.
“The Barclays Premier League is the most exciting league in the world and goals are what it’s about. Mancini’s Italian and you can’t see him changing his mindset.
“They wanted to finish in the Champions league spots this season, fair enough. But if they’re saying they want to win the Premier league…playing like that?!
“Let’s be brutally honest, I don’t think any team can win the Premier league playing like that.”
Trying to make sense of what hes said,never was the sharpest cookie was he
I bet his son is well pleased Daddy went public with this!
Good job Coley isn’t managing a football team, he wouldn’t last long.
Of course City started the season making sure they don’t concede, but as the attacking players bed-in, and more quality is added, they can switch styles and tactics during games – they’ve started to do this in the last quarter of the season, and also man-marked certain Stoke players in the final, breaking from the zonal marking of most of the season.
City are not a one-trick pony, and will improve considerably more, to deny this is blinkered.
Andy Cole thinks Mancini won’t change his Italian mindset, I think the evidence is there that he already has at the back end of this season.
Yeah sure, let’s replace Mancini with Cole, the tactical genius.
Actually we are third, just half a dozen points or so behind the league leaders. Now just imagine if Mancini had started the season with a team that had already gelled as the team is showing now at the end of this season. Would Mancini have picked up enough points to be ahead of the league leaders now?
City easily beat United at Wembley. Now wait, Mr Cole, for the Charity Shield and the derbies next season. Then City will be picking up all the points they need….
City easily beat United at Wembley? Each team had a better half and City are lucky Berba had one of the worst misses of all time as they are not a team of character to fight back. Regardless, the FA and the Carling Cup are perfect tournaments for City with their “try not to lose approach”, given its knockout formula and leaving more to chance. And don’t even think this applies to the CL, because you won’t have the luxury of facing lower-League teams like you do in the FA.
There’s a reason United have one more League titles than FA cups, especially in the Premier League era, as it proves consistency and character over the long haul.
Maybe I’m wrong and your team will begin to gel and play for each other. But the only striker you have that’s worked out amongst the dozen or so others you purchased is on his way out, so good luck with goal scoring and positive tactics next year.
I can understand Jonathan’s view, taking City’s style of play over the whole season, but Mancini had a target and he has reached it, CL and a cup, how he did that is immaterial.
As for next season and beyond, the chairman has stated on video that he will strengthen where necessary in order to consolidate. I know this is a Man U blog, but your own manager has said it takes time to build a squad, and that is what’s happening at City. I don’t think it will all go wrong, and you do. I’m a blue and you are a red, so that’s understandable. We will wait and see who’s right.
@ Jonathan – both teams had a good half? I think you’ll find in reality the 1st half both teams had good spells but City dominated the 2nd half. Also, with regards to the League – track back to the last derby and Rooney’s winner. People tend to forget City were the better team that day. Now, imagine Rooney hadn’t scored the winner but City had got the winner our performance probably deserved. That would be 3 points less for United and 3 more for City this season. The final gap between the two teams would have been 3 points.
United have already lost Van Der Sar and Scholes for next season. How many points have they been worth for United this season?
Tick, Tock. Your time is up.