Europa League preview: Lech Poznan v Manchester City

City take on Lech Poznan once again in the Europa League, and hope to get back to the kind of performance that saw Adebayor net a hat-trick first time round. Avoiding defeat will leave City with an excellent chance of sealing qualification with a home victory over Salzburg.

With all the adverse headlines, our “under pressure” manager might be expected to field his strongest team against Poznan in the hope of getting a resounding result. He won’t. Keeping players fresh for the three Premier League fixtures in six days, starting on Sunday, ensures rotation is key.

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Media pressure on Mancini is unwarranted

Two bad results featuring one bad performance appears to have been enough for Roberto Mancini to be deemed the Premier League manager “under pressure”. A week before losing to Wolves we were sitting in second place and seen as the biggest threat to Chelsea.

Such is the way the way the media works. Liverpool have won their last two games and the spotlight needs to be shone on someone other than Roy Hodgson. Many of those now knocking Mancini after two defeats will argue elsewhere against kneejerk reactions and sacking managers without giving them time.

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