Glowing testimony for Mancini

Two former players who worked under Roberto Mancini have spoken about their former boss, in particular praising his approach but also giving a glimpse of what to expect from the new manager.

Firstly Diego Simeone:

‘I would warn the Manchester City players that Mancini is very rigorous and serious in his work.

‘Any player who does not buy in to the work rate and the spirit of the team will be out, without a doubt.

‘These things are important to him. He is very open with his players but he is also very clear. He believes in team unity above anything else. He thinks that is the way to be successful. The players he has there at City will have to understand that.

‘My experiences of Mancini were positive. He is not a typical Italian coach. He will not use a typically defensive Italian system and so for a player like Robinho or Carlos Tevez the way he sets the team up could be advantageous.

‘But if they are not prepared to work, in both halves of the field, then they won’t be in the team.’

And also Esteban Cambiasso:

‘There will be a lot of ball work, a lot of tactical discussion and they will be asked to repeat certain plays over and over again. In some ways, the drills will be mechanical.

‘Mancini will do what is necessary until they get things right.

‘I am convinced that Mancini’s style will be right for the Premier League and that City’s results will improve but there will be a lot of work for the squad to do on a daily basis.

‘Mancini believes that only work and repetition in training will bring a team success. That is what he was like with us.

‘Because he used to be a forward, he was never interested in winning 1-0. He always demands more goals and he was never happy until we had won by 2-0 at least.

‘For the midfielders and forwards in his squad at City there is going to be a lot of work.’

From someone who follows Serie A quite closely, none of this is much of a surprise in terms of Mancini's approach, and he will follow the formula that brought him success at Inter, but also before that at Lazio and Fiorentina where his results were even more impressive given the way both clubs were imploding around him.

The concept of two a day training sessions and hotel stays before home games are commonplace in Italy, and I would imagine there would be far more focus on the technical aspects in training - something which should benefit the defence which has looked unorganised for the most part this season, although as Cambiasso states, the midfield and attack will not be immune from this.

Don't be expecting catenaccio to be introduced though, as - perhaps reflecting the type of player he was - Mancini is no slavish disciple to the defensive mantra, and we should see a positive approach from the side under him.

The more I think of the appointment, the more I think Mancini could be a very good fit for us and I am particularly looking forward to how he lines us up this coming weekend with the games in quick succession against Stoke and Wolves.