Coventry La La La
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Roberto Mancini believes he can be the manager to finally silence the taunts from Manchester United fans over City’s 35-year wait for silverware.
A permanent banner, mocking City’s ongoing trophy drought, hangs in the Stretford End at Old Trafford, the ticker a reminder of every the year the blue half of Manchester has failed to win silverware.
But Mancini, buoyed by City’s historic victory over United, believes the banner’s future will be short-lived with his sights set on FA Cup glory on May 14.
“I think we can take down this banner soon,” said Mancini. “But we hope we can [finally] take it down this year.
“I think we can take down this banner soon,” said Mancini. “But we hope we can [finally] take it down this year.
“This result was important because our mentality will be much stronger for beating United.
“United played with the best team - without Wayne Rooney but we played without Carlos Tevez - and that was important for us.
“We have shown we can beat every team because this season we have beaten Chelsea, Liverpool and now United.
“And if we win the FA Cup then I think we can challenge for the title next season. But we will finish in the top four this season.”
Mancini, who has spent more than £150million in 16 months in charge of City, defended the money at his disposal and said he had bought with the vision of building a team for the future.
“Many times people ask me about spending,” said Mancini. “But we didn’t buy Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, we bought young players, good players and all of them need to improve because, for many, it’s their first year in England.
“Many years ago, when fantastic players came to England like Eric Cantona, they had a difficult start. For every player it is difficult. So next year, all of these players will play better and we will improve.
“This year we improved a lot. Sometimes you can lose and you don’t know why, because you prepared well.
“But this is the problem when you have a new team. A manager needs time because in one year you cannot build a strong team. But it is important that you improve every week.”
