Vieira claims Man City need FA Cup to save their season

Posted Thursday, April 18, 2013 by The Sun

Vieira claims Man City need FA Cup to save their season
PRESSURE ON CITY ... Patrick Vieira sharing a joke with boss Roberto Mancini

PATRICK VIEIRA last night insisted Manchester City need to win the FA Cup to save a bad season.

City’s football development executive also refused to rule out selling Samir Nasri to Paris Saint-Germain, though he insisted the champions want to keep him.

He said: “Has this season been a success? No. The aim this season was to retain the title and do better in the Champions League so, no, you can’t say our season was a success.

“We’re in the Cup Final so that’s a good way of saving the season.

“But we had a team you’d expect to do better. We could have done better.”

Frenchman Nasri, 25, has come under fire from frustrated boss Roberto Mancini for his inconsistency.

PSG declared their interest in the midfielder — as SunSport told you yesterday — but Vieira insisted City want to keep him.

Vieira told Radio Monte Carlo: “Samir could have done better.

“I think, he, himself, is disappointed with the level he played at for several different reasons.

“But in the end, he remains an important player for us.

“I see him almost daily. I think he’s learned a lot this year. He’s faced competition and, when he wasn’t good enough, he’s been taken off. It’s been an important season for him and I’m sure he’ll come back even stronger.

“I hope he will stay. Time will tell. It’s important to build a team on the long term.

“Samir is a very good player, a young player and I hope he’ll stay with us for a long time.”

Vieira insisted City will spend big in the summer in a bid to mount a credible challenge in the Champions League — after back- to-back failures at the group stage.

The French World Cup-winner added: “The aim is to sign players that can help us with the Champions League.

“There are interesting players, some I’ve even come to France to see play — but, in the end, it’s Mancini’s call.”