Roberto Mancini is stuck between a rock and a hard place, one of his predecessors as Manchester City manager has told the Daily Mirror. Joe Royle, who led City between 1998 and 2001, believes simply maintaining the same level of success would be an achievement for Mancini and the current Premier League champions.
Mancini was appointed as City manager three years ago this week after replacing the sacked Mark Hughes, and in that time has taken the club into the Champions League for the first time and won the FA Cup and Premier League, sealing City’s first league title in more than 40 years with a dramatic last day win over Queens Park Rangers, then managed by Mancini’s immediate predecessor, Hughes.
The Italian has however come under pressure this season as City exited the Champions League at the group stage for the second successive campaign, failing to win a match in the competition and missing out on even the consolation prize of the Europa League, while also falling six points behind Manchester United at the top of the league table.
Royle however feels Mancini has done – and is continuing to do – a good job at the Etihad Stadium, noting that the only manager to deliver trophies on a regular basis has been Sir Alex Ferguson.
“It’s a hard thing to do to bring sustained success to a club and only Sir Alex has managed to do it really,” Royle said. “[Mancini has] won the FA Cup and the Premier League and he’s brought world-class players to City.
“I wouldn’t say that he’s exceeded expectations because he has operated with an open chequebook over these three years, but anyone would say that he’s done a good job. I think the problem he’s faced with now is that he’s raised expectations and that’s going to be a big test meeting these expectations.
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