Man City: 5 Problems Stopping Mancini From Winning The Champions League

4. Juggling Competitions

FA Cup? Done. Premier League? Done. Champions League? It€™s the obvious next step, but as Roman Abramovich found, it is not as easy as that, and while Sheikh Mansour will want to see City make their mark on Europe and establish themselves as one of the top dogs, he will not want to see City lose their English crown. City have the squad to mount challenges both domestically and in Europe but the added travelling necessary, coupled with less time on the training pitch, not to mention fatigue and injuries (and the African Cup of Nations returns in January too), would put a strain on any club. The danger for Mancini is spreading his team little too thin and ending up with no trophy at all, and the pressure, both internally and from the media, is huge. Mancini€™s record in Europe is not at all impressive and another exit at the group stage will undoubtedly raise questions about his future, despite signing a five year deal in the summer. Naturally, the domestic cups will take a back seat but Mancini might be best served by making clear what targets the people above his head have set him. If they only expect a last 16 place in the Champions League this season then he can plan appropriately without the expectations of the media, but if they expect a semi-final or final, then the Premier League title may need to be sacrificed. Of course it is too soon to rule out winning any of the four competitions they are in, but Mancini better have clear goals in mind otherwise he might find he is juggling too many competitions and it could all come crashing down around him.