Roberto Mancini sacked as Manchester City manager
Roberto Mancini has been sacked as Manchester City manager after three-and-a-half years at the helm. A statement said
he "had failed to achieve any of the club's targets, with the
exception of qualification for next season's Champions League".
Best Premier League win percentage (20+ matches)
|
Games | Won | Win % |
---|---|---|---|
Jose Mourinho |
120 |
85 |
70.83 |
Sir Alex Ferguson |
809 |
528 |
65.27 |
Carlo Ancelotti |
76 |
48 |
63.16 |
Roberto Mancini |
133 |
82 |
61.65 |
Arsene Wenger |
636 |
366 |
57.55 |
Rafael Benitez |
253 |
140 |
55.34 |
Assistant Brian Kidd will take
charge for the final two games of the season and the summer tour to
America. Malaga's Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini has been strongly
tipped to replace Mancini.
On Sunday night 59-year-old Pellegrini, who spent one season in charge at Real Madrid in 2009-10, insisted he
was not about to become the new City boss.
"I deny here and now being the new coach of Manchester
City, I haven't signed any agreement with anybody," he said after
Malaga's goalless Primera Division draw with Sevilla.
City thanked Mancini for the job he had done, with
chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak saying: "Roberto's record speaks for
itself, he secured the love and respect of fans.
"He has done as he promised and delivered silverware and success."
City added in their statement that it was "a difficult
decision", explaining it was "the outcome of a planned end of season
review process that has been brought forward in light of recent
speculation."
The 48-year-old Italian
replaced Mark Hughes in December 2009,
winning the FA Cup in 2011 and City's first
top-flight league title
for 44 years in 2012 - a year to the day before his sacking.
Roberto Mancini record
But this term, City are a distant second to champions Manchester United, went out in the Champions League group stages and
lost the FA Cup final
to Wigan.
However, besides on-the-field performance, the club's
statement also suggested that there were other reasons to make the
change.
The statement said: "[Failure to achieve targets]
combined with an identified need to develop a holistic approach to all
aspects of football at the club, has meant that the decision has been
taken to find a new manager for the 2013-14 season and beyond."
BBC Radio 5 live senior football reporter Ian Dennis
said that the reference to the 'holistic approach' of the club was
crucial to Mancini's departure.
"What has gone against him is his man-management style," said Dennis.
"It is other issues other than performance which have
undermined him. When you look at the flashpoints that Mancini has had
this season that gives you an indication of the difference in holistic
approach that City are looking for."
Mancini was
critical of Manchester City officials
for failing to deny the newspaper reports that surfaced on the
morning of Saturday's FA Cup final stating he would be sacked and
replaced by Pellegrini.
City were beaten by Ben Watson's 90th-minute header at
Wembley as Wigan, struggling to avoid relegation from the Premier League
in 18th place, became the lowest ranked team to win the FA Cup since
West Ham in 1980.
City thrashed rivals United
6-1 at Old Trafford in October 2011
en route to their first Premier League title and although they beat them again on their home ground this season,
Sir Alex Ferguson's team wrapped up their 20th league crown last month
with four matches remaining.
Mancini's record in the Champions League has also come under scrutiny.
The furthest he has been in Europe's elite competition
is the quarter-finals, with Inter Milan, and City have been eliminated
in the group stages of both their campaigns during his reign.
Having
finished third
behind Bayern Munich and Napoli in 2011 they again failed to
qualify this term, winning none of their six matches in a formidable
group that also contained Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Ajax.
Their tally of three points was the lowest by an English side in the group stage of the competition.
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