Mancini rants reflect winning mentality - Maicon

Mark Ogden

MANCHESTER City full-back Maicon has defended Roberto Mancini following his latest clash with a rival manager and claimed the Italian is merely displaying his winning mentality.

Mancini criticised the technical area conduct of Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert following City's League Cup defeat at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, claiming that the Scot offered further evidence of managers over-stepping the mark against City in a manner that they would not when faced with Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.

"I am very tired with their behaviour," Mancini said.

"Sometimes these managers go to the big stadiums and the other manager says everything and they say nothing.

"When they go to Old Trafford, they say nothing."

Having previously clashed with Ferguson, Everton boss David Moyes and his City predecessor, Mark Hughes, Mancini's latest outburst might ultimately have been a tactic aimed at deflecting attention from the 4-2 third-round defeat against Villa.

But Brazilian defender Maicon, who played for Mancini at Inter Milan, believes that the City manager's passion on the touchline should not be condemned.

Hairdryer

"All winning coaches are the same so if (Ferguson) has the hairdryer, Roberto has the same passion," Maicon said.

"All winning managers are the same and they show this passion to the players because they really want to win and the players can feel that.

"It is the same man (I knew at Inter), the same passion, the same will to win, the same intensity. I found the same kind of manager.

"That is the way he should be, to see a passionate coach who demands high standards.

"If he gets angry he reminds everybody of the standards required.

"He's a winning manager like the other ones, so he has the same passion and the players appreciate it when the manager speaks up for the team and the players, especially because he puts the pressure on himself rather than giving it to the players."