Roberto Mancini believes Manchester City are becoming unpopular as a result of their success. “Every team that wins things doesn’t get sympathy,” said Mancini. “Do United get sympathy from other teams? No, because United win always. When Arsenal won leagues and cups was there sympathy? No. Because every team knows that when they win they do not get sympathy. I hope we don’t get sympathy for the next games either.”
Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis has launched a fresh attack on Manchester City, according to The Daily Mail, by suggesting that they might try underhand tactics to influence Villarreal ahead of their Champion’s League game with Napoli. De Laurentiis said: “I can feel strange things going on surrounding the Villarreal game – princes and sheiks are getting agitated. To think about it would be evil but sometimes you can guess what is happening.”
Sheik Mansour has praised manager Roberto Mancini for following the “right path” toward achieving the club’s main objective, winning the Premier League title. In rare public comments, the Sheik told Dubai-based Sport360 daily newspaper that the club’s main goal for the season is still within reach, despite City’s slim chances of remaining in the Champions League.
Kolo Toure says comparisons with Arsenal’s “invincibles” side of 2003/04 are premature. “We need to take it game by game because sometimes when you win you just start to feel so comfortable and don’t fight as well as you should,” said the 30-year-old. “We don’t think about this record. We just want to play as well as we can every single game.”
Manchester United fear they may lose Paul Pogba, 18, to fierce rivals Manchester City as talks over a new deal have stalled, according to The Independent. Pogba’s current deal expires in the summer, allowing him to speak to suitors as early as January, and a number of clubs are believed to have registered an interest in the player, currently on the fringes of Sir Alex Ferguson’s first-team squad. He has so far failed to agree terms on an extended deal.
