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“We lost top place in the Premier League at Swansea, but this is not the end of the title race as some people are saying,” he told the Daily Mirror. “Now it is very important we are very comfortable together as a squad and as a club. We must regroup and find our best form and the fans will play their part against Chelsea.
“There is no need for anyone to panic. Of course, it is better to stay at the top, but now we are behind, it doesn’t change our target.
“Now we have to show we are strong physically and ready for the challenge. This is a test for our players. It has been a difficult few days in terms of getting results and some injuries to important players, but we all know football is like this.
“The season is long and what happened recently can happen to any team. Against Sporting Lisbon and Swansea, we missed three or four chances on the counter-attack. This is the problem at the moment and then we have conceded what from our point of view have been stupid goals.
“Every game is difficult and different. We try to play good football and sometimes we can, and sometimes we can’t. Football is like this. Sometimes you lose when you deserve to win and sometimes you win when you are not the best team.
“It is an unpredictable season, but we know the season still has a long way to go and that we can still win a trophy.”
He added: “We have another ten games to finish this championship and that is a lot of points. That is nearly 25 percent of the season. The season is long and every week the situation could change.
“We will fight hard, and together, right until the end, to give ourselves the chance to win the title.”
Mancini has again confirmed striker Carlos Tevez is pressing for a place on the bench against Chelsea. Tevez has not played for the club since his fall-out with officials over his refusal to warm up against Bayern Munich last year.
Asked if Tevez was in the frame for a place on the bench against Chelsea, Mancini said: “Tomorrow we will decide because we want to know the situation with the players. There is a chance, it is possible.”
And when pressed if Tevez will feature at some stage between now and the end of the season, Mancini said: “Yes.”
Meanwhile Mancini said Premier League players should be given two medical screenings each year.
The Italian believes current health assessments are not “accurate” enough.
“When I saw our medical (procedures) two years ago, I was worried. I said we need to do them better,” he said. Mancini made his comments shortly after chief executive Richard Scudamore revealed the Premier League will review its medical procedures after Fabrice Muamba’s cardiac arrest.
Medics spent six minutes trying to resuscitate Bolton midfielder Muamba after he collapsed against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
The level of care owed much to the changes by the Premier League following Chelsea goalkeeper Petrech’s fractured skull in 2006.
But City boss Mancini insists medical procedures in England are still not as thorough as those in Italy.
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
TODAY: Man City v Chelsea, Etihad Stadium 21:45; Tottenham v Stoke, White Hart Lane 21:45; Everton v Arsenal, Goodison Park 22:00; QPR v Liverpool, Loftus Road Stadium 22:00. — Soccernet/BBC.
Online Reporter