photo credit: Crystian Cruz

Nobody wants to take the reigns of a top flight club mid-season.  But Roberto Mancini did exactly that.  And so far Mancini can’t complain after his first week on the job.  The Manchester City Blues are within three points of a Champions League berth next season and Mancini has shown the club early on that he might be the cataylst to something extraordinary happening in Manchester, but for the other side.

The Blues went on a record spending spree last transfer window and this upcoming window should be no different for the plus 400 million dollar team.  The club has often been linked to a desire to land Fernando Torres from Liverpool, but the odds of a top four squad giving away their best player to a rival club are highly unlikely.  But Mancini’s early success at Manchester City is crucial because winning this season is obviously the most important thing.  The organization already dumped one manager despite the squad’s table position improving so far this year, but if the former Inter man wants to remain in the Premiership then he needs to prove to be a difference-maker for the potential top four squad.

In his first two matches as coach, Mancini did exactly that engineering two wins.  The first was a 2-0 win over Stoke and the second victory came over the Wolves whom the squad beat 3-0.  Tevez hasn’t seemed to mind the switch either.  His three goals in the two matches increases his total to nine on the year.  If Mancini can avoid the draw bug and continue to motivate players like Tevez, then perhaps Manchester City will pull off the unthinkable: A top four finish and Champions League berth.