With the Champions League returning this week for the quarter finals, some teams have extra busy schedules including Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.
This is why France Football on Tuesday decided to have a chat with Roberto Mancini, current Inter Milan and former Manchester City manager, about the upcoming clash.
Having managed PSG star Zlatan Ibrahimovic during his first stint at the head of the Italian side, the former Galatasaray man explained he wasn’t surprised at the Swede’s form this season, placing him as one of the best strikers in the world with Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Higuain.
As for Manchester City, Mancini admitted being slightly surprised at their lack of form this season considering the squad they have.
He said: “I thought City would win the Premier League, because they’ve been the strongest team in England for the past few years. But football is beautiful when there are surprises. This year, City have lost a bit too much.
“They’ve suffered in defence, which hasn’t usually been the case, but I see them qualify for the Champions League, by finishing third or fourth. They’re a big team.”
Regarding the news mid-season that Pep Guardiola would be taking over from Manuel Pellegrini at the end of the season, the Italian manager described it as ‘not exactly a positive’ for the group of players, but said that after all, they are professionals, hinting at the fact it shouldn’t affect their performances.
Blaming bad luck in the draws for the exits he suffered in the Champions League when in charge of the team, the manager keeps ‘a very good memory’ of his time there: “It also makes me happy to be the manager to have brought back the Premier League to City after so many years, and to also win the Cup.”
Inter Coach Roberto Mancini believes Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic can play until he’s 35 or 36.
The Swedish striker is out of contract at the end of the season, and it’s not clear whether he’ll stay in Ligue 1 or move elsewhere.
“Zlatan, along with [Lionel] Messi, [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Gonzalo] Higuain is one of the best strikers in the world,” Mancini told France Football.
“They each have different attributes, but they’re all on the same level. They score at least a goal a game, and when you have a player like that you can win everything.
“I’m not surprised that he’s still so decisive at his age, I was 35 and I won the Coppa Italia and the Scudetto.
“Ibra is a serious professional, he can play until he’s 35 or 36. He’s always criticised for not being decisive in the Champions League, then you see the match against Chelsea…
“Zlatan always gets 20 or 25 goals a season and always – or almost always – wins the title. This year he has a big chance of winning the Champions League.”
Source: FCInterNews.it