City ready for first Premier League title defense
By JACK BEZANTS
Associated Press
Associated Press Sports
updated 12:44 p.m. ET Aug. 9, 2012
But the lack of action speaks volumes - City is yet to sign a single player less than three weeks before the transfer window closes.
Instead, the offseason has seemingly been used to seek stability at the club and consolidate. Mancini signed a five-year contract extension while captain and central defender Vincent Kompany has agreed to a new six-year deal.
"This Man City project was probably one of the most difficult projects in Europe to be part of, and so far we have all done a good job, even though a lot of people said it (success) wasn't going to happen so quickly," Kompany said. "I like the kind of characters that we have in our team. I like the challenges we have ahead of us. Now is the time to build the culture of winning; we are in the right time, we are in the right moment."
City has been linked with a number of players, notably Liverpool defender Daniel Agger and Arsenal striker Robin van Persie, who has said he will not sign a new contract with the London club with a year left on his current deal.
Mancini said on a preseason tour of Malaysia that he is not looking to make a mass of signings in comparison to previous years.
"I don't think we need 10 new players," the Italian said. "We need to improve some positions because it is important, but it is difficult to say now how many players. It could be two, three or one that arrive here, that can help the team to improve."
Mancini is focused on performing better in the Champions League after last season's group-stage exit. With Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan having invested more than $1 billion since taking over City in 2008, a better showing is essential in club football's most prestigious competition.
"I think we need to improve for this competition," Mancini said. "To win, you should be in good form, be in a good moment. Clearly you should have a good team."
England midfielder James Milner agrees.
"Obviously we had a successful season last year, so we want to build on that," Milner said. "We want to improve in Europe as we were disappointed with our performance in the Champions League last year, so that's a massive thing for us."
Should City retain its Premier League title, the team will be hoping to do so in a more assured manner than last season.
The club went into its final match knowing that a home victory against Queens Park Rangers would be enough to hold off Man United, which had to win at Sunderland and hope City lost for it to retain the Premier League title.
United won 1-0, its match finishing before the game at City in which Mancini's side trailed 2-1 with only stoppage time remaining.
It seemed inevitable that United would win its 13th Premier League title, so much so that many fans were already celebrating in the stands.
But City striker Edin Dzeko equalized with a header before forward Sergio Aguero blasted a winner in the final minute. City had snatched the trophy out of the grasp of its illustrious neighbor to win the league on goal difference and for the first time in 44 years.
While that day will arguably never be bettered for emotion, City knows this season must act as a catalyst to win future titles. Of the 12 times United has won the Premier League, seven have come with a margin of six points or more over the team in second place.
It is that supremacy that City is striving for. Successfully defending the title wouldn't mean the end of Alex Ferguson and his United team's 20-year grip on English football, but it would send a signal they are facing their greatest opposition yet.
? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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