adminunfair after going beyond the expectations set out by the club.
In an interview with Corriere Dello Sport, Mancini said: ‘I think I deserved more respect for what I achieved at City in three-and-a-half years. The club didn’t win a title for 40 years. I won a Premier League, and FA Cup, a Community Shield and, in the worst season, I lost a final and finished second in the Premier League.
“I still do not know why City sacked me. They demanded that I won the title within three years — I won it within two years. I’m not angry with the owner Mansour and or the chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak. They are two great managers and I’ll always be grateful.” However, Mancini spoke with rather less enthusiasm about Ferran Soriano, claiming that his relationship with the club’s chief executive was non-existent.
In a scathing critique of the former Barcelona general manager, Mancini said: ‘Soriano? For him I was too big within the club. A manager in full control, loved by the fans still today. He judged a person and a context without knowing anything about the people he should have dealt with. I never thought of him as an interesting person from a football perspective. We never spoke the same language. And I’m not talking about Italian, Spanish or English.
“His past at Barcelona? I think he was coming from an airline. I’ve been in football since I was 13 and I had never heard anything about Soriano. He arrived in England with his manager role and I saw that he loves to speak, to get media exposure.’
Mancini, who was adored by City fans, also revealed that he had already started to make plans for next season — and he had identified Napoli’s Edinson Cavani as the man to lead the club’s assault on the Premier League title.
Mancini said: ‘When I was at City, I made Cavani as our absolute top target for this summer transfer window.’
City’s interest in signing Uruguayan Cavani has since cooled, with Pellegrini less keen on the £54 million rated frontman.
Mancini endured a mixed three and a half years with the Manchester club, as he guided City to FA Cup glory in 2011 — the club’s first trophy in 35 years — before winning the Premier League in 2012 to end City’s 44 year wait for a league title.
However, despite lavish spending on stars such as Yaya Toure, David Silva and Sergio Aguero, Mancini’s side failed to make an impact in Europe, failing to progress beyond the Champions League group stage in both of the last two seasons.
City were also unable to defend their Premier League crown last season, falling 15 points behind bitter rivals Manchester United by the end of February, with Sir Alex Ferguson’s side wrapping the title up by the middle of April. Mancini’s departure was an acrimonious one, with the Italian sacked by Manchester City just days after his side produced an awful performance in a shock 1-0 defeat to Wigan in the FA Cup Final at Wembley.
However, speculation about his future had already gathered pace in the 24 hours before the final, with widespread reports that Pellegrini was set to replace Mancini.
Mancini added: ‘I lost the FA Cup, in football it can happen. It was a bad day for the whole team. But I never expected what happened. — Mailonline.
Online Reporter