Manchester City boss demands focus on Europa League clash

Manchester City boss demands focus on Europa League clash

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has urged his players to focus on their UEFA Europa League group stage clash with Austrian outfit Red Bull Salzburg on Thursday 2 December.

The Italian is hoping for a positive response after his side were held to a 1-1 draw by Stoke City in the English Premier League on Saturday 27 November, a result which caused City to fall five points behind leaders Manchester United in the title race.

In fact, City have only won two of their last eight games across all competitions, and have drawn three of their last four matches.

They were beaten 3-1 in their last Europa League game by Polish side Lech Poznan ― who are at the top of the group on goal difference ― and have yet to confirm their place in the first knockout stage with Italian giants Juventus three points behind with
two games still to play.

City will ensure their progression if they beat Salzburg and Lech Poznan do not lose to Juve on the same night and, as a result, Mancini wants complete commitment from his players at the City of Manchester Stadium on Thursday.

He told reporters: “If we win against Salzburg, we will go through to the next stage. It is important we now focus on winning that match. We must pay more attention when we play and concentrate and though this is a difficult period for us, if we stick together
and work hard we can get back on track quickly.”

City are still in the hunt to win three trophies this season, as they are also in the third round of the FA Cup, where they will face Football League Championship side Leicester City on the weekend of 8-9 January.

aadmin

aadmin is a contributor at SportQA. We are committed to providing well-researched, accurate, and valuable content to our readers.