Roberto Mancini Critical of 'Stupid' Manchester City
by Mick Bates / 23 November 2011, 10:46TweetManchester City's future in the Champions League has been thrown into doubt after Tuesday night's frustrating defeat to Napoli leaves them one point behind the Italian club and relying on results elsewhere to qualify. Roberto Mancini has slammed his team for letting in stupid' goals and has described his side as now having a 30%' chance of qualifying to the knock-out stages. The defeat in Italy means that the bookmakers' have lengthened City's odds of winning the competition, with Ladbrokes now pricing them at 25/1.
It may be City's debut in the Champions League but with the gulf of talent at the club many predicted that they would qualify from the group stages of the competition without too many problems. However, this has not been the case as lacklustre performances against Napoli and Bayern Munich have severely dampened their prospects of reaching the next round. City must now beat runaway Group A winners Bayern in their final group match and hope that Napoli get no more than a draw against rock-bottom Villarreal, who are without a point in the competition.
Although Mancini's job is not in danger in the slightest, we all know how matters in football can change very quickly. City's owners expect the club to make an impact in each and every competition they enter and will no doubt be very disappointed with how the team have played in Europe this season. City's below-par European displays have been in stark contrast to their blistering league form which has seen them collect a remarkable 34 points from a possible 36, leaving them five points points clear of rivals Manchester United and nine points ahead of third place Tottenham. Their unbeaten streak will be tested this Sunday when they travel to Liverpool, with the Merseyside club full of confidence after beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last weekend. Ladbrokes have City as the 7/5 favourites while Liverpool can be backed at 15/8 to inflict the first league defeat on Mancini's team this season. Alternatively a draw is available at 23/10.
All odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.
