4 Reasons Why Manchester City Have No Excuses In The Champions League

1. Roberto Mancini

In Roberto Mancini, Manchester City have a leader who has a lot of experience both as an influential player and a top club manager. His record with Sampdoria as a player is exceptional and this may be what helped put him in good stead before becoming a full time manager. Mancini is also well versed in the arts of winning as a manager. Managing Italian giants Inter Milan he won 3 consecutive Serie A titles, a club record, and also managed to win a European record 17 league wins on the bounce. During each of his 4 seasons as manager of Inter Milan, Mancini soaked up the European experience and has therefore amassed a wealth of experience and knowledge of how to win in European football. Ok, Mancini has never actually won the coveted "Big Ears" trophy but he has never been eliminated in the group stage, except with City, meaning he definitely knows what it takes to escape difficult Champions League groups. Obviously, experience is not always a given for success as a player nor a manager but it definitely helps and the above fact that Mancini had never been eliminated from the group stages prior to his tenure with City means he must have had some sort of winning formula which helped him progress through the groups on a consistent basis.