On This Day – 20th December
Roberto Mancini became Manchester City manager on this day back in 2009. The Italian was the first Manchester City manager since the management team of Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison won the league title back in 1968.
He won his first four matches in charge at the Ethiad Stadium. In his first transfer window, Mancini brought in experienced central midfielder Patrick Vieira to the club along with winger Adam Johnson.
The club finished fifth at the end of his first season in charge and qualified for the Europa League.
His first pre-season saw several players join the club who would finally bring some silverware to the blue half of Manchester. Jerome Boateng, Yaya Toure, David Silva, Aleksandar Kolarov, Mario Balotelli and James Milner all joined the club. Edin Dzeko joined the club in January and the squad was really starting to take shape.
Manchester City finished third in the Premier League table but won the FA Cup, the club’s first major trophy in 31 years. Their opponents in the Final were Stoke City and the match was won by a goal from Yaya Toure in the 74th minute.
The following season would end in the most dramatic of circumstances, with a last-minute winner from Sergio Aguero in the final match of the season giving City the league title.
City and arch-rivals Manchester United were neck and neck for the title going into the final game. Mancini’s men just needed a victory at home to already-relegated Queens Park Rangers. They went 2-1 down but turned things around in injury time with goals from Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero to complete an astonishing win.
The 2011/12 season also saw one of the greatest Derby day wins for the club. On 23rd October, City travelled to Old Trafford and beat United 6-1 in a rampant win. Sir Alex Ferguson’s men were comletely outplayed on their own pitch and City’s fans revelled in the glory for years to come.
Roberto Mancini’s side were unable to retain the league title the following season, finishing in second place and eleven points behind Manchester City. They finished rock bottom of their Champions League without a single win.
The club reached the FA Cup Final and were widely expected to beat opponents Wigan Athletic. The underdogs were already relegated but the unthinkable happened and a Ben Watson header settled the match in Wigan’s favour.
The shock defeat in the FA Cup Final was enough reason for the Manchester City board to sack Mancini and brought an end to his three and a half years at the club.
He later managed Galatasaray where he won the Turkish Cup in his first season. Mancini then returned to his former club Inter Milan before moving to Russia to take charge of Zenit St Petersburg.
In 2018, Mancini became the Italian national team’s Head Coach. The Azzurri won a record ten consecutive games in 2019 and Mancini is still in this role today.
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