He is struggling massively with continuity I think. He's got so many players with enormous egos that he struggles to keep them all happy. Up front he seems play a different combination every game, City are useless from a Fantasy Football perspective because their strikers play at random. I really don't see why he persists with Balotelli, he is far too inconsistent and his mental problems will always prevent him being a regular starter. Why not just play Aguero and Tevez every week? Why does Lescott play every other week as well? Why not just play him and Kompany every week? Why does Kolorov play one week and Clichy the next? Clichy is better, play him every week.

I think the exceptionally strong CL group could save Mancini, and give him until at least the end of the season to keep his job if he puts up a good show in the PL.

But another group stage exit and a 3rd place league finish would do him in I think.

I think Citeh have had really tough CL groups. Last season was a hard one and this years is probably one of the strongest groups ever. But I still think Citeh haven't done enough in their two years in the competition. Last season I think they only beat the whipping boys and took a victory over the already qualified Bayern. This season they have rarely managed to rise above the 4th best side in the group. Considering the strength of the side, it really isn't enough.

The main threat to Mancini's job is if he fails to establish a working relationship with Soriano and Begiristain.

Well-deserved and IMO long-overdue call-up to the England squad for Leon Osman. He's been criminally overlooked for England while putting in good perfomances for Everton, while players like Cleverly, Sterling and Particularly Shelvey have gotten a chance after 1 or 2 (or zero) good games for their clubs.

Do City think by signing anybody who used to be involved with Barca will turn them INTO Barca? I don't think Mancini will be there come may.

Well done Celtic too. Champions League knock-out stages should be interesting

But isn't that because having no relevant history and performing poorly in the Champions League itself leads to them having a low ranking, thus always being 3rd seed in a group behind two mega-teams?

It does. Altough the problem hasnt just been the two mega-teams (one of which was Villareal last year), its also been the lower seeded teams, Napoli, Ajax, & Dortmond.

I'm not convinced its the quality of the opposition that's the problem. City have also performed poorly in the Europa League against clearly inferior teams. I wonder whether its something to do with the preparation. City rarely play well in mid week games in any competition. Its not a fitness issue, City are always very physically strong, both late in games and at the end of the season. But we always seem to be lethargic in mid week games.

We've had to go through the qualifying stages a couple of times to reach the CL group stages.

We've never seen anything approaching as hard as Citeh's CL group this season. I think our CL group this season is a strong group, and one of the hardest we've faced, but it's nothing compared to Citeh's group this year.

I thought Man Utd's exit at the group stages last season was an embarrassment. Citeh's exit was understandable.

I think us and United have two of the strongest CL records in the last decade. I think we'd both struggle with the group Citeh have this season.

I'm not a fan of Mancini. I think he's a decent manager, but not a great one. But I do have huge sympathy for him over the CL because the draws have been really hard and tripped him up before he really had a chance to show anything.

With us, once our squad had the taste of the CL, there was no interest in what the UEFA Cup offered.

Personally I think the re-entry of CL teams into the EL will be scrapped soon. I just don't think it works.

If Citeh were Arsenal or Tottenham, then yeah, I'd understand them struggling in their group, but they aren't one of those clubs. They're the alleged best side from our league, they have one of the richest squads in the world and easily one of the biggest wage bills. For me, Citeh not getting through isn't understandable. Last season, maybe, as it was their first, but when you win the league and your league is considered the strongest/second strongest in the world, it isn't too much to ask for to get through a group with Dortmund, Ajax and Madrid IMO. Ajax aren't great, Citeh just performed poorly. Dortmund are a well coached side but they aren't stacked with the individual talent Citeh have. Citeh haven't played against vastly superior players during the groups, they've played against vastly superior coaches and Mancini has been shown up, just like he was with great regularity as Inter manager when he got them in Europe.

I'll tell you what, Roddy and I may have many differences on this football thread, but I couldn't have typed that post better myself.

City have no excuses, as a club they may be inexperienced, but the squad is full of supposedly big-name, big time players and coupled with a coach who is touted as a pretty good one, then their displays are bordering on embarrassing.

Must admit though, not as embarrassing as United's exit last year - If that had happened to Barca or Real Madrid, clubs who are supposedly United's equals, then the coach would have been fired within 24 hours of being eliminated.

United's exit was an embarrassment. But you don't respond to that embarrassment by making the stupid decision of firing a manager like Sir Alex Ferguson who has brought them 12 titles and 2 CL wins.

Look at United's position now. Top of the Premier League. Top of their CL group with a 100% record.

So should Fergie have been fired for last season?

Citeh didn't do nearly enough in Europe last season. But last season wasn't particularly about Europe, and their group was hard with Napoli and Bayern in it. This season has been an even bigger struggle, but the task is even harder. Look at Marid, they're struggling a little, even though they are the Spanish champions, have probably the best manager in the world and one of the 2 greatest players in the planet in their side. If Madrid hadn't managed a few very late goals then they could have been down like Citeh are right now.

Citeh could still win the league this season. If they do, they shouldn't GAT about the false goals that oppo's have set for them. They obviously will want European success after the investment they've made, but they probably aren't going to be stupid enough to believe the hype that they should be instantly among the best sides of the CL simply because they have a squad full of talented players.

We won the CL last season. This season we started on fire and led the pace in the PL. But if we'd have been in Citeh's group and put in the performances that we have in Europe, we'd have probably suffered even worse than Citeh have.

Look at the sides in Citeh's CL group - Real Madrid. Spanish Champions, managed by Mourinho (2CL's in 10 years), driven on by Ronaldo (one of the 2 God-level players in the world right now). Borussia Dortmond. German Champions, a side who beat Bayern Munich 5-2 in the German Cup Final last year. A clearly excellent side who have probably targeted the CL big time this year. Ajax. 4 times EC winners, but a side who know that they cannot compete in the modern financial stakes so have practically zero pressure on them in the CL this year.

Personally I think that's the best CL qualifying group that there's ever been. I think practically every club in this years CL is just thankful that they haven't been drawn in that group. 3 League Champions in the group, 2 ultra money clubs, 2 of the highest rated managers in the game right now. And in the whipping boy position - Ajax - 4 times European Cup winner. Chelsea get Nordsjaelland for 6 guaranteed points. Man United are in a group with 3 worse teams than Ajax.

Man City have been totally and absolutely screwed by the draw. That's the only way that they should look at this seasons campaign if they do well in the league.