Mancini had to go

GAEL CLICHY says Roberto Mancini can have no complaints about being sacked by Manchester City.

The deposed Premier League champions ended the season empty handed with 11 fewer points than last term.

They also crashed out in the group stage of the Champions League again.

And French left-back Clichy, 27, says that while the players must shoulder some blame, it is ultimately the manager who has to accept responsibility.

He said: “We have to be honest and say we didn’t perform well this year.

“We started the season sloppily and finished sloppily.

“It’s the first time a manager has been axed while I’ve been at a club, so it’s a bit of a shock and if you look at his record it’s hard to understand.

“But he’s the manager and you have to take responsibility.

“When results are good it’s all down to the manager. When the results are not so good, it’s also down to him.

“We have to be aware he was probably at fault for this.

“The chairman made the decision, you have to respect it.”

City’s chairman Khaldoon al Mubarak, chief executive Ferran Soriano and director of football Txiki Begiristain decided to axe Mancini after their FA Cup final defeat to Wigan.

The decision has not gone down well with the fans — though they remain firmly behind owner Sheikh Mansour who has pumped in millions since his takeover of the club in 2008.

But Soriano said: “We don’t think we’re under any instability. We are changing the manager as happens in other clubs.

“We feel confident we will have a good manager and a very good team next year.”

Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini is poised to replace Mancini at the Etihad and Clichy predicts good times ahead.

He said: “We can’t get worse than this year but I have a nice feeling for next season.
“I really believe this is the place to be.”

Gael Clichy was speaking at a Manchester City visit to Staten Island in New York, where
City have donated football equipment to a local community group who are helping the Island recover from Hurricane Sandy.

He said: “It’s hard to believe that six months ago, this place was destroyed by the hurricane. Everything looks fine now. It’s good to be here, you can see the kids are enjoying themselves.