FC Zenit head coach Roberto Mancini. Dossier

With the arrival of Mancini to Zenit, high-profile transfers should be expected in the team, since the Italian has perfectly studied the transfer market. He is known and respected by prominent European footballers. True, all this will cost the club a lot of money ...

Roberto Mancini, photo

Mancini - striker

Roberto Mancini was born in November 1964 in the small Italian town of Jesi. Different roads lead people to sports! Mancini became a football player in the most unexpected way ... thanks to the church. The local priest was football fan. It was he who persuaded the eight-year-old Roberto boy, gave him a T-shirt and boots.

At the age of sixteen, the wunderkind athlete already promised to become a star. Roberto was one of the brightest forwards among the Italian youth. In less than seventeen, he began playing for the adult Bologna in the top division of Italy and scored nine goals in the first season.

The following year, Mancini moved to the Genoese "Samprodia" - a modest club made a bet on a young star, spared no expense and did not lose.

In Samprodia, our hero played for fifteen years (1982-1997). Roberto was the team leader here and wore the captain's armband. The club won under him the Italian championship, the Cup (repeatedly) and the Super Cup. Without a striker named Mancini, the team has not won any trophies either before or since - in their entire seventy-year history. The club president said that he did not enjoy the game at all if Mancini was not on the field.

Thirty-three years - a lot is not enough for a football player? So many. But the brightest stage in the career of the Italian striker was yet to come. In 1997, Mancini was named Italian Footballer of the Year. After that, the striker was invited to Lazio, one of the elite clubs.

In three years at Lazio, Mancini won no less trophies than in fifteen at Samprodia: the title of the Italian champion, the Cup, the Super Cup, the Cup Winners' Cup ...

Roberto began his coaching career even before the end of his playing career. The fact is that the famous Lazio coach, Svenn-Goran Eriksson, made Mancini his assistant.

This happened in 2000, when the game practice of a thirty-six-year-old player was already coming to an end. He completed it in January 2001 after a short stay at the English Leicester (this is an acquaintance with English football then it will be very useful).

Mancini - coach

On the football field, Mancini was "a real leader", according to Eriksson. That is why Roberto's coaching career developed phenomenally quickly. Already in 2001, Mancini became the head coach of Fiorentina. In 2002, he returned as a coach at Lazio. Soon the young specialist became famous thanks to victories and ... exorbitant financial appetites. The coach, in an ultimatum form, demanded that his salary be raised almost five times. And the club management had to meet halfway…

In 2004, perhaps the brightest stage in the career of the temperamental Italian began: Inter. Roberto has managed to attract a star squad and has become a big deal in the transfer market. Under him, he came to Inter.

With such strength, the team won the Coppa Italia in the first season. And in 2006, there was a super match against Roma that was memorable for many: in the final of the Italian Super Cup, Inter lost with a score of 0:3, but then managed to pull themselves together, score 4 goals in a row and win the match.

Under the leadership of Roberto Mancini, Inter became the champion of Italy three times in a row (2006, 2007, 2008), won the Cup and the Super Cup of the country. And only in the Champions League did not smile at the team luck. In 2008, Mancini had to resign.

This resignation was associated with scandals. At first, Roberto said that he would leave his post voluntarily, then he took his words back. As a result, the decision was made by the president of the club, with whom Mancini had a very difficult relationship. The coach learned about his own dismissal from the newspapers ...

A variety of versions of the resignation were voiced: from fixed matches to connections with the Italian mafia. The reality, most likely, is simpler: the temperamental coach quarreled with both the management and the team. Yes, and in European competition, Inter played unsuccessfully. In place of Mancini came, who appreciated the fruits of his predecessor's work and dedicated him to victory in the next Italian Super Cup. Inter fans still have a warm attitude towards Mancini.

Mancini continued his career in an equally glorious team - Manchester City (2009-2013). True, before the Italian coach, this team could not become the champion of England for 44 years. It was Mancini who returned the "citizens" to the elite of world football. Under him, a new star came to the team - Yaya Toure. In 2011 and 2012, Manchester won the Premier League, Cup and Super Cup.

However, in the Champions League, Roberto was again haunted by failure. And the management of the club raised its requirements. Roberto Mancini was fired in 2013.

Later, the Italian coached the Turkish Galatasaray (2013-14), then returned to Inter (2014-16). Now he led teams less successfully. Evil tongues began to claim that Roberto was more interested in his business than in football. In August 2016, Mancini resigned and was out of work for nine months.

On June 1, 2017, it was announced that the Italian specialist was appointed head coach of Zenit. Mancini took the place of the dismissed Mircea Lucescu, who could not justify the hopes placed on him.

Mancini as a person

Roberto Mancini married at the age of twenty-five. His wife's name is Federica Morelli. The couple raised a daughter Camilla and two sons: Filippo and Andrea. Both sons, following the example of their father, became football players.

Having grown rich, the Italian specialist managed his funds well and invested them in the business. Mancini builds luxury yachts and owns a five-star hotel in Sardinia.

The character of the coach is complex, explosive. In moments of excitement, the Italian is even capable of public hysteria. Leading Manchester City, in the midst of the match, he managed to unleash a sharp conflict with the coach of the opposing team, Everton. It came almost to the point of assault, and both teams spent the rest of the match without the guidance of coaches: both were removed by the judges.

Many trophies, failures in European competitions, expensive transfers, regular conflicts, an old acquaintance with Sergei Fursenko, defensive play - the St. Petersburg club will be headed by an interesting but controversial specialist.

The Italian coach had a meeting with the chairman of the board, "", which means that he is about to head Zenit. Here's everything you need to know about the changer to meet the news of his appointment prepared.

Was a great footballer

Striker Roberto Mancini is a graduate of Bologna, but at the age of 18 he moved to Sampdoria, where he spent best years in a career. From 1982 to 1997, he scored 168 goals for the club from Genoa, won the championship, four cups, the Italian Super Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup, played in the Champions League final. At the age of 33 he managed to become best football player season in Italy and moved to Lazio, with whom he once again won the country's Super Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup, two national Cups and the European Super Cup.

Surprisingly, Mancini did not do so well in the national team. At Euro 88, he scored against the Germans, and the team, having lost in the semi-finals of the USSR, won bronze. At the home World Cup-90, the result was repeated, only Roberto sat it out in reserve. They didn’t take him to Euro 92 at all, in the qualification for World Cup 94 Mancini scored three goals, but did not receive guarantees that he would go to the tournament from head coach Arigo Sacchi, quarreled with him and ended his career in the national team.

In January 2001, Roberto signed a contract with the then very modest Leicester, played five matches and a month later, at the age of 36, he finished football.

Immediately started coaching big clubs

While still a Lazio player, Mancini was listed as an assistant to head coach Sven-Goran Eriksson. Within days of completion playing career Roberto took over at Fiorentina even though he didn't even have a coaching license at the time. The Violets won the Coppa Italia, but in the championship the team was in the relegation zone, and after 10 months Mancini was fired.

Just six months later, Roberto headed Lazio. The team experienced serious financial problems, sold leaders, cut the rest of the players' salaries by 80%, but reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, where they lost to Porto Jose Mourinho and Dmitry Alenichev, and also won the Italian Cup, defeating in the final "". Having received a tempting offer from Inter, Mancini told the bosses of Lazio that he could stay if his salary was increased by almost 5 times. Of course, this did not happen.

Won with Inter three Italian championships in a row

The first season in the new club was not very successful: another victory in the Cup, but relegation without a chance in the 1/4 finals of the Champions League from the principal rival "" and only third place in the championship, far behind the first. However, it was during this season that the foundation for future victories was laid, including thanks to successful transfers. For example, for the Argentines Esteban Cambiasso and Nicolas Burdisso, the club paid only 3.5 million euros, and then they played 600 matches for him for two.

However, even more Mancini and Inter were lucky with the famous Calciopoli scandal. After the 2005/06 season, in which the team again performed averagely (victory in the Super Cup and Cup, third place in the championship, relegation to the 1/4 finals of the Champions League from the modest Villarreal), gold medals went to her after Juventus was sent to the second division, and "Milan" was fined 30 points.

Thanks to this, Inter lost their main rival for several years, but also lured Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Patrick Vieira from him. Winning the next championship was a matter of technique: the lead over Roma was 22 points, during the tournament the Mancini team scored 17 victories in a row. However, in the Champions League the team failed again, taking off from Valencia already in the 1/8 finals. The return match ended in a mass brawl between the players.

In the 07/08 season, Inter won the championship for the third time in a row and again flew to the 1/8 finals of the Champions League, this time from "", largely due to early removals in both matches. After the return game, Roberto announced that he would resign after the season, then took back his words, but in May he was fired anyway. Mourinho replaced Mancini and won the Champions League two years later.

Could come to Russia much earlier

After resigning from Inter, Roberto still had a valid three-year contract with the club for 6 million euros per year, so he was in no hurry to find a job and considered different variants. In the summer of 2008, the Russian press wrote about the interest in Mancini from CSKA and Spartak, and a year later the Italian media talked about Roberto's negotiations with Dick Advocaat, who was looking for a replacement. It is quite similar to the truth, because on December 10, 2009, the St. Petersburg club announced the appointment of another Italian, Luciano Spalletti, and already on December 19, Mancini got a job in England.

The most interesting thing is that the new old president of Zenit, being the head of the RFU, really wanted to see Roberto as the head coach of the national team in 2012 and even signed a preliminary contract with him for 6 years, but after the failure at the Euro he was forced to resign.

Led to the first championship victory in 44 years

In the summer of 2008, the Arab sheiks became the owners of the “citizens”, but, despite serious investments, they did not feel any progress in the first 1.5 years and invited Mancini. In their first season, City narrowly missed out on the Champions League, finishing fifth, the club's best result in the Premier League.

In the summer, the sheikhs bought Yaya Toure, Mario Balotelli, David Silva and other stars for Mancini (for a total of 145 million euros), which helped win the FA Cup (the first trophy for the club in 35 years) and become third in the championship, losing second place to Chelsea only on goal difference. However, at the international level, Roberto again blundered, losing in the 1/8 finals of the Europa League to Dynamo Kyiv, which, by the way, was then led by Yuri Semin. “Zenith” at the same stage then took off from “Twente”.

Encouraged sheiks broke the club record by shelling out €36m for Argentine striker Sergio Aguero, and the team really shined, winning 12 of 14 first rounds and then giving neighbors Manchester United their biggest home defeat since 1955 - 1 :6. Parallel to this, Mancini again failed in the Champions League, failing even to qualify from the group, although he scored 10 points (Zenith then advanced to the playoffs with nine). In the Europa League, too, did not work out: relegation in 1/8 of the "Sporting". But in the championship, "City" gave the fans the most dramatic denouement in the history of the Premier League. IN last round The “townspeople” had only to beat the outsiders from QPR at home, but by the end of regular time they were losing 1:2. Goals by Dzeko and Aguero in the 92nd and 94th minutes brought the club their first league win since 1968.

After such success, Mancini extended his contract with the club for 5 years, but was fired a year later. The season kicked off with a Super Cup win, City flopped in the Champions League, finishing bottom of the group, even below Ajax. In the championship, the team took second place, lost to the modest Wigan in the Cup final, and Roberto was fired by the sheikhs. The following season, the team became champions and advanced to the playoffs of the Champions League under the leadership of Manuel Pellegrini.

Tried downshifting in Turkey

Mancini, who played and coached only in the top championships, unexpectedly agreed to the offer, which was left without a coach who left for the national team a month after the start of the 2013/14 season. This time we can even say that in the Champions League, Roberto relatively flashed, managing to get around Juventus in the group and take second place. In the 1/8 finals, the Turks calmly gave way to Chelsea. In the domestic arena, Galatasaray won the cup, but could not really impose on Fenerbahce the fight for the championship. After that, Mancini asked for a lot of money for transfers, the club refused, and the parties terminated the contract. The following season, the team became champions.

Failed return to Inter

After winning the Champions League and the departure of Mourinho, the Milan club fell into the crisis in which it is now. Failed to help the team and Mancini. Having taken "Inter" during the season, Roberto took only eighth place in the championship with him and flew out to the 1/8 finals from the German "Wolfsburg" without a chance. The following season, the team climbed to fourth place, but the contract was terminated. Since August 2016, Mancini has been out of work.

Regularly got into scandals

For 15 years of work, the Italian coach got into many conflicts. Let's list the main ones. After being fired from Inter in 2008, the club accused him of ties to crime, and the media accused him of surrendering matches when the team was confidently leading the championship. During that season, Mancini damaged relations with the club's president, Massimo Moratti, by interfering in the management of the club, and got into an altercation with him in the press.

In his first season in England, during a match against Everton, Roberto snatched the ball from the hands of opposing coach David Moyes, after which they began to shout at each other right on the touchline and were both sent off. In the second season, Mancini sent one of the main stars of Carlos Tevez's team to double and promised that the Argentine would no longer play with him. However, then Tevez returned to the squad.

Returning to Inter, Roberto quarreled on the sidelines with a colleague from Napoli Maurizio Sarri and, having heard a certain word in his opponent's tirade, accused him of homophobia. "If in Italy to be a real man means to be like Sarri, then I'd rather be gay," said Mancini, a father of three who never lacked fans in the past.

Focuses on defense

Although he himself was a dashing attacking player, becoming a coach, Roberto first of all likes to establish actions in defense. “I like the score 1:0. If you didn’t miss, and in the attack you have someone like Carlos Tevez and David Silva, 90% that you will win,” Mancini said while working in England and received a portion for this criticism. Both Inter and Man City, under the Italian, have had the fewest conceded seasons in the league.

The players themselves repeatedly questioned Mancini's training methods, but he didn't care. "Even if a top player is unhappy in the team, it is better for him to leave," Roberto said. At the same time, Roberto himself has a great corporate habit during the match to lead the team with a club scarf tied around his neck.

In defense, Mancini loves order, rigor, experience, simplicity, reliability. That is, not quite the features that, for example, Luis Neto possesses. Therefore, it is not surprising that rumors have already begun that the Italian wants to buy two new defenders in Zenit.

There will be a lot of purchases in general, Mancini was used to this, working in the rich Inter and Man City, because of his unpreparedness for this, he quickly left Galatasaray. On the one hand, in the conditions of financial fair play and without the Champions League, it will not be easy for Zenit to lure newcomers and lay out large sums for them. On the other, to the club for the position sports director Konstantin Sarsania returned, and he knows how (at least he used to know how) to find and persuade good players.

What is the result

Mancini is not such a (coachingly) young idealist and experimenter as, and not such a hardened and overstayed conservative as Mircea Lucescu, so it would be more correct to compare him with a compatriot.

Mancini is younger, but in some ways even more experienced, since he worked more outside of Italy. He was a great player, and not so long ago, so he can become a great authority for the players. He is more defensively focused and probably more conservative. Like Spalletti, he likes to set his own rules in the team and does not hesitate to clash with leaders or even management. Like Luciano, he has achieved nothing at all in European competition. On the other hand, it can only irritate.

Spalletti has 765 matches as head coach, Mancini has 681 - almost the same. Moreover, both spent most of their careers in good clubs championship of Italy. So, we can safely compare the statistics. Spalletti clubs average 1.68 goals per game and concede 1.17. Mancini clubs, respectively, 1.71 and 0.99. Conclusion - Roberto's teams are really more successful in defense. Interestingly, Mancini shows better results in the national championships: his teams are gaining an average of 1.91 points per match (Spalletti has 1.76), but not in European competitions - 1.64 points against Spalletti's 1.73.

It was failures in Europe that cost Mancini a job at Inter and Man City, although he took many trophies at the national level. After two third places and two seasons in the Europa League, it would be nice for Zenit to win something first in Russia. Petersburg club has found Spalletti version 2.0 - the return to the past continues.

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Zenit signed Roberto Mancini to regain their former strength in the Russian championship and European competition. What can we expect from the work of the Italian coach, history will tell. "Sport Day by Day" tells how the results of the teams changed under his leadership and what amounts were spent under him in the transfer market.

Fiorentina

In January 2001, the 36-year-old striker Mancini went on loan to Leicester, but left England a month later and accepted an offer from Fiorentina to start coaching career. Roberto replaces Fatih Terim, in which the "violets" after 20 rounds have 27 points and take 10th place. With Mancini, the team plays a little worse - 16 points in 14 matches (an average of 1.14 points against 1.35 for Terim), but finishes ninth. But the main achievement of the young coach is winning the Italian Cup: in the two-legged final, Fiorentina defeats Parma (1:0 away and 1:1 at home).

During the summer off-season, the club in financial crisis is forced to sell important players - Rui Costa to AC Milan (€42m), Francesco Toldo to Inter (€26.5m) and Tomas Rzepka to West Ham (€8.25). Losses were compensated by free agents and leases. As a result - a sharp decline in the 2001/02 season. Mancini leaves office on February 11, 2002. Fiorentina is currently in penultimate 17th place with 17 points over 22 rounds, and eventually crashes and goes bankrupt.

In the UEFA Cup, the Violets knock out Dnipro and Tyrol, but in the 1/16 finals they lose to Lille (0:1 at home, 0:2 away).

"Lazio"

Season-2002/03

Mancini completed his first full season at Lazio. In May 2002, he took the place of Alberto Zaccheroni, in which the Romans finished sixth with 53 points. Roberto's task is complicated by the sale of Hernan Crespo to Inter (36 million euros) and Alessandro Nesta to Milan (30.5 million). However, Lazio are progressing with Mancini - finishing the season in fourth position with 60 points and qualifying for the Champions League.

Meanwhile, the UEFA Cup is making a name for coach Mancini. Lazio starts its journey from the first round and goes through Xanthi, Red Star, Sturm, Wisla and Besiktas in turn. The Romans reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, but there they are blocked by future Porto trophy winner José Mourinho. In Portugal, "Lazio" is heavily inferior with a score of 1:4, and the game in Rome ends without goals - 0:0.

Season-2003/04

There are no particularly high-profile deals involving Lazio on the market next summer. Unless the purchase of Luciano Zauri from Atalanta stands out for 5.95 million euros. The Italian championship is a little worse for the Romans: the Mancini team is gaining four points less than a year earlier, and is in sixth place. However, Roberto again submits to the Italian Cup. In the two-legged final, Juventus defeated Marcello Lippi - 2:0 at home and 2:2 away.

In third qualifying round In the Champions League, the Romans confidently deal with Benfica (4:1 on aggregate) and fall into the group with Chelsea, Sparta and Besiktas. Lazio starts with an away win over Besiktas Mircea Lucescu (2:0), but this victory remains the only one in six rounds. The blue and white with five points are in last place in their quartet. At the end of the season, Mancini leaves Lazio and heads Inter.

"Inter"

Season-2004/05

Roberto and in this case changes Zaccheroni. Under his predecessor, Inter finished fourth with 59 points. Mancini in the first season significantly improved the result: third place and 72 points. At the same time, in the offseason, the most expensive purchase was the transfer of defender Nicolas Burdisso for 3.5 million euros. Inter took a number of well-known free agents, at the same time the club sold players for almost 30 million, in particular, Fabio Cannavaro to Juventus (10 million), Goran Pandev to Lazio (8 million) and Mohamed Callon to Monaco ( 5 million).

In addition, Mancini continues the tradition of collecting Italian Cups. Now Roma have been beaten in a two-legged final (2-0 in Rome and 1-0 in Milan).

In the qualifying stage of the Champions League, Inter beat Basel, and in the group they took first place with four wins in six rounds. The opponents of the black and blue were Werder Bremen, Valencia and Anderlecht. In the 1/8 finals, Inter prevailed over Porto already without Mourinho, but the Champions League quarter-final with Milan Carlo Ancelotti turned into a nightmare. In the second half of the return game, when Mancini's team was already losing 0:3 on aggregate, the fans hit Milan goalkeeper Dida with a firecracker. The referee decided to end the match, and Inter were punished with a technical defeat.

Season-2005/06

On the eve of the new season, Inter bought Walter Samuel, David Pizarro and Santiago Solari for 32 million euros, having gained only 22 million from the sale of unnecessary players. This had an effect in Serie A: Inter scored four points more. The Mancini team finished the Italian championship third after Juventus and Milan, but at the end of the season a corruption scandal broke out (the so-called Mojigate) and, after investigating and punishing competitors, Inter was declared the champion.

The confrontation between Inter and Roma in the Coppa Italia final continued a year later. Luciano Spalletti had already led the Romans into battle, but the effect was the same. Roberto took over the future Zenit coach (1:1 in Rome and 3:1 in Milan).

Mancini started qualification for the Champions League again with a confrontation with Lucescu. The Milanese defeated Shakhtar with a total score of 3:1. On group stage Inter were waiting for Glasgow Rangers, Artmedia and Porto. In the playoffs and this time we managed to get through quite calmly - four wins secured the first position. In the 1/8 finals, the black and blue beat Ajax, but Mancini again did not submit to the quarterfinals. A 2-1 home win against Villarreal was not enough as the hosts scored in Spain and won the battle thanks to away goals. However, these two Champions Leagues with Inter are still the best for the Italian.

Season-2006/07

Inspired by the unexpected championship, Inter began to behave even more aggressively in the transfer market. €48m were spent in the off-season, including on Zlatan Ibrahimovic (€24.8m), Patrick Vieira (€9.5m), Maicon (€6.8m) and Fabio Grosso (€5.5m). Earned the Milan club through sales of only 31 million euros.

The Black and Blues took full advantage of the absence of Juventus in Serie A and the problems of competitors. Roberto's team won the Scudetto by a huge margin with 97 points. True, the Coppa Italia did not work out. Spalletti still bounced back in the next final at Mancini (6:2 in Rome and 1:2 in Milan).

In the Champions League, Inter started with group tournament, where Bayern, Sporting and ... Spartak were waiting for him. Black and blue won three victories, scored 10 points and took second place behind the Germans. Coach Mancini already knows how to beat Spartak. At the San Siro, his guys won with a score of 2:1, and in Moscow - 1:0.

In the 1/8 finals of the Champions League against Inter, the away goal rule played again. At home, the Italians did not keep the advantage over Valencia (2:2), and in Spain a goalless draw was recorded.

Season-2007/08

Mancini's shopping tour continues ahead of his last season at Inter. The coach got a taste, dreaming of winning the Champions League. The Milan club acquired newcomers for 39 million, among them were Cristian Chivu (15 million), David Suazo (13 million), Nelson Rivas (7.5 million) and by no means the king of football Pelé (2 million). Only 14 million euros were earned on the market.

Mancini has added another championship title to his collection. Although the black-and-blues made a lot of suspicious losses at the finish of the championship, 85 points were enough to win. Roma are three points behind. Needless to say, the teams of Mancini and Spalletti also met in the final of the Coppa Italia? The trophy was now up for grabs in a single match in Rome. The hosts won against Inter - 2:1.

At the group stage of the Champions League, Inter competed with the Russian club for the second year in a row. CSKA Valery Gazzaeva, together with Fenerbahce and PSV, threw down the gauntlet to the grandee of Serie A. Mancini coped with the task without any problems: five wins and finishing in first place. Gazzaev beat both in Moscow (2:1) and in Milan (4:2).

However, Inter also stumbled at the 1/8 final stage. Rafa Benítez's Liverpool scored two clean sheets at Anfield, after which they won by a single goal and in the second leg. Failure in the Champions League was called the main reason for the resignation of Roberto.

"Manchester city"

Season-2009/10

For a little over a year, Mancini lay on the stove, hiding a multimillion-dollar penalty from Inter under his pillow, after which he accepted a new challenge - from abroad. For three transfer windows from the summer of 2008 to the summer of 2009, Manchester City bosses spent 300 million euros on newcomers under coach Mark Hughes, but he never figured out what to do with fallen happiness. The Citizens finished the 2008/09 season in 10th place, and in the next championship of England, after 18 rounds, they were only sixth with 29 points. Hughes was shown the door, and on December 19, 2009, Mancini signed a contract with Man City.

In the remaining 20 rounds, the team took 38 points with the Italian (an average of 1.90 points against 1.61 for Hughes), finished fifth, and received a ticket to the Europa League.

“I understand some players who are still attached to Hughes. When I leave Man City after 15 years, having won the English championship five times and winning four domestic cups, the players will treat me the same way,” Roberto joked.

Season-2010/11

In the off-season, Mancini could already select players for his football. In the summer, the Citizens, who were on a roll to the fullest, spent 182 million euros by selling extra people only 37 million euros. The most expensive newcomers were Edin Dzeko (37m), Yaya Toure (30m), Mario Balotelli (29.5m), David Silva (28.7m) and Aleksandar Kolarov (22.7m). In the Premier League, the all-devouring selection has borne fruit in the form of adding three points and winning the third league place.

Of course, Mancini did not make him wait long for his favorite cup trophy. Man City beat Stoke in the FA Cup final thanks to a goal from Yaya Toure.

On the international stage, Mancini's team started with a victory over Timisoara, then won the group stage of the Europa League against Juventus, Lech and Salzburg. In the 1/16 finals, the "citizens" calmly dealt with "Aris", but in the end, this European Cup did not go to the Italian. At the stage of the 1/8 finals, Man City was beaten by Dynamo Kyiv - 0:2 away and 1:0 at home.

Season-2011/12

The desire of Man City bosses to get the championship trophy at all costs resulted in new big spending on the market. The English club gave another 87 million euros, acquiring Sergio Aguero (36 million euros), Samir Nasri (27.5 million), Stefan Savic (12 million) and others. It was possible to sell players for a much smaller amount - 30 million euros.

The stellar line-up of the "citizens" finally completed the task - they won gold medals. With equal points (this season they managed to score 89), Man City were ahead of Manchester United in additional indicators, but it happened thanks to a miracle! In the last round, Mancini's team was supposed to win at home against QPR, however, after 90 minutes, ten of the guests were leading - 2:1. The hosts were incredibly lucky that Dzeko and Aguero managed to score two goals in stoppage time.

The victory in the Premier League brightened up the impression of the inglorious European tour. In the group stage of the Champions League, Man City, with good statistics (three wins, 10 points), took only third place in the fight against Bayern, Napoli and Villarreal. Having moved to the Europa League, the “citizens” defeated Porto in the 1/16 finals with a total score of 6:1, and in the 1/8 finals they unexpectedly lost to Sporting because of the same away goal rule (0:1 in Portugal and 3:2 in England).

Season-2012/13

In the summer of 2012, Manchester City had a more adequate balance between expenses and income. The English club parted with 61 million euros, but replenished its wallet with 44 million. The most expensive newcomer was the current Zenit Javi Garcia (20 million euros). For the first time, the Citizens scored fewer points in the championship under Mancini than a season earlier. Man City finished in second place with 78 points.

Roberto was again close to winning the National Cup, but this time his team lost the trophy due to a goal in stoppage time (0:1). The cup was won by Wigan.

However, the work in Manchester cost the coach, first of all, another Champions League kick. The Citizens, without a single victory and with only three points, finished last in the group with Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Ajax. Of course, hardly anyone expected such a failure from a rich club, which is among the favorites of the tournament. Mancini did not succeed in holding out at Man City for the promised 15 years.

"Galatasaray"

Season-2013/14

The compensation of 11 million euros was a consolation for the Italian, and in less than six months he was already learning his first Turkish words. As at the dawn of his coaching career, he was helped by the resignation of Fatih Terim. Galatasaray had a poor start in the league (seven points after five rounds and 10th place), and crushing defeat in the 1st round of the Champions League group stage from Real Madrid with a score of 1:6 forced Terim to leave the current champions of Turkey. The club from Istanbul called the ex-man city coach for help.

And Mancini showed that he is able to work with those who are! Of course, someone was bought for it in January, but there was no comparison with the spending of the "citizens". Although Galatasaray never caught up with Fenerbahçe in the Super League (placed second with 65 points), Roberto maintained the tradition of winning the National Cup with all his teams. In the final, Wesley Sneijder's goal brought victory over Eskisehirspor - 1:0.

Moreover, Mancini pulled Galatasaray into the Champions League playoffs ahead of Juventus and Copenhagen in the group. "Real" was the first, Istanbul - the second. To pass in the 1/8 finals of Chelsea Mourinho would be akin to a feat. Galatasaray played a draw at home - 1:1, but in London they quickly conceded and lost with a score of 0:2.

"Inter"

Season-2014/15

At the end of the season, Mancini left Galatasaray as the club's goals became more modest and the transfer budget was lower. Initially, the parties agreed otherwise. However, the coach did not sit idle for long: in November, Roberto accepted the invitation of his beloved Inter. The Milan club fired Walter Mazzari, as the team, after 11 rounds, was only ninth with 16 points.

Mancini set to work on the revival of Inter, while expensive transfers postponed until summer. At first, there was not much progress. In the remaining 27 matches, the black and blue won 39 points (1.44 points against 1.45 for Mazzari), Inter became eighth and flew past European competition.

The Milanese reached the group stage of the Europa League by rolling out the Icelandic Stjarnar with a total score of 9:0. Then they won in a quartet with Dnipro, Karabakh and Saint-Etienne. In the 1/16 finals, Inter beat Celtic, but in the 1/8 finals they could not oppose anything to Wolfsburg (1:3 away and 1:2 at home).

Season-2015/16

In the off-season, Inter made a lot of noise: they sold players for about 100 million, and bought for the same amount. High-profile acquisitions included Geoffrey Kondogbia (€36m), Ivan Perisic (€19m) and Şerdan Shaqiri (€15m).

Changes in the composition and game allowed the black and blue to take a step forward. Inter won 12 points more and ended the Italian championship in fourth position. Booked a place in the Europa League. However, on the eve of the 2016/17 season, Mancini left the Milan club. It was reported that Roberto did not have a relationship with the new owners of Inter, he did not agree with them on the contract and breeding issues.

Inter without Mancini had another bleak year (62 points, 7th in Serie A), changing three coaches during that time. More than 150 million euros were thrown into the pipe in two periods of additional applications. Most likely, with Roberto, the Milanese club would not have survived such a decline. "If Inter had left Mancini, they would be in the Champions League now," ex-midfielder Felipe Melo is sure.

Concluding the story about Mancini's coaching path, we note that best results on the international stage, he achieved without crazy spending on the transfer market - this is the semi-final of the UEFA Cup with Lazio, two quarter-finals of the Champions League with the early Inter and the 1/8 finals of the Champions League with Galatasaray. This fact only confirms that in football stability and thoughtful selection work is more important than the amount of money. And, of course, refutes the opinion about the failure of Mancini in European competition. Another thing is that you can’t be called a top coach without Champions League and Europa League trophies. But the desire to win European competition unites the Italian with the leadership of Zenit.

Photos used: AFP; AP; ItaSportPress; Reuters

Roberto Mancini is a former Italian footballer and current football coach, which to date is not bound by a contract with any of the clubs. The last place of his work was the Italian Inter. Roberto Mancini is now 52 years old and has been coaching for sixteen years. When he was a football player, he played as a center forward, but in some cases he moved deeper and played a drawn forward.

Club career

Roberto Mancini was born on November 27, 1964 in the Italian city of Jesi, where he began playing football with early years. Already at the age of 13, he was screened at a local club called Bologna, where he was accepted. There he continued his football development, and pretty soon the coaches noticed a great talent in him. As a result, already in 1980, the 16-year-old boy made his debut for the club and played the whole season, entering the field 31 times and scoring nine goals against professional rivals.

Naturally, his days at Bologna were numbered - the leading clubs in Italy immediately became interested in him, and in the summer of 1982, Roberto Mancini signed a contract with Sampdoria, where he spent most of his career. More precisely, for fifteen years Mancini defended the colors of his club. During this time, he played 566 matches, scoring 168 goals in them. And only in 1997, when he was already 33 years old, Roberto decided to try himself in a new club, which was the Roman Lazio. There he played for another three years and, despite his age, showed good results. For three years, Mancini played 136 matches and scored 24 goals in them.

In 2000, Mancini decided to try his hand at parting in another championship, signing a short-term contract with the English Leicester, where he spent only one month, playing five more matches, but not scoring a single goal. And in February 2001, Mancini announced that he was completing professional career footballer.

Performances in the team

It cannot be said that Roberto Mancini, whose photographs nevertheless appeared on the pages of Italian sports publications, was a star player. Still, Sampdoria was not a world-class club, and in Italy it almost never found itself in leading roles. Only once, in 1991, the club managed to win the Italian championship with the help of Mancini, and also four times he became the winner of the Italian Cup.

The biggest achievement of the player in Sampdoria was the victory in the European Champions Cup, the most prestigious club tournament. Later, together with Lazio, he partially repeated his success, winning the Italian Championship, two Italian Cups and the European Cup. But how did the career of a player in the Italian national team develop? There, Mancini played only 36 matches, scoring four goals in them. He made his debut in May 1984 in friendly match against the Canadian team, first went to a major tournament in 1988 - it was the European Championship.

It was there that he scored his first goal for the national team, and against the German national team. Then he played all four matches, but at the 1990 World Cup he was present in the application, but did not appear on the field even once. Since then, Roberto Mancini, a footballer who won two European Cups, has not been called up to major tournaments, and he played his last match for the national team in March 1994.

coaching career

Roberto Mancini, whose biography is not limited to playing on the field, planned to end his career back in 2000. When his contract with Lazio came to an end, he was offered another contract. In the summer of 2000, Mancini became an assistant coach, who at that time was Sven-Göran Eriksson. After working under him for six months, Mancini returned to big football to spend a farewell month with Leicester, after which he received a professional coaching license and began to coach Fiorentina. In the first season, he finished in the Championship in 9th place, but led the team to victory in the Coppa Italia, and in the second he completely failed and was fired when the club was in 18th place.

In 2002, Roberto led Lazio, which also led to victory in the Italian Cup, and also raised it to 4th place in the championship. In 2004, Mancini moved to Inter, with whom in the first season he finished in 3rd place and won the Cup, and also reached the 1/4 finals of the Champions League, and in the second he already won both the Cup and the Championship. Seasons 3 and 4 were marked by victories in the Italian Championship and two second places in the Italian Cup. This was followed by four years at Manchester City, where he was able to win the FA Championship and the FA Cup. In 2013, Mancini moved to Galatasaray for a year, where he finished second in the Turkish Championship and won the Turkish Cup. In 2014, Roberto returned to Inter, where he spent two seasons, but his maximum was fourth place in the Italian Championship and the semi-finals of the Italian Cup.

What's next?

In the summer of 2016, Mancini was fired from Inter, but decided not to sign a contract with another club for the time being, taking a short break. He is expected to return to coaching summer 2017.

For the past few years, the famous Italian football manager Roberto Mancini is often criticized by sports experts. And I must say, not unreasonably. The Italian received an almost bottomless budget and unlimited opportunities at Manchester City, but failed to please the club's bosses and thousands of blue moon fans with a triumph in the Champions League. On the other hand, if we evaluate Mancini's coaching career as a whole, then, for sure, he will enter the top 3 of the most titled of his compatriots.

Player career

Roberto Mancini is a graduate of the Bologna club from the north of Italy, where he also took his first steps in professional football, playing mainly as a right forward. The striker, already in his first season, managed to mark nine times, which attracted the interest of Sampdoria, which occupied a leading position at the end of the last century. Italian Series A. As part of the Blucherchiati, Roberto made up a powerful attacking duet with another Italian football player- Gianluca Vialli.

In just fifteen seasons in a blue and white T-shirt, Mancini played about five hundred matches and became the champion of Italy with the team. He also won four national Cups, the Super Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup. The Italian striker was one of those who created a formidable reputation for that Sampdoria in European battles. Needless to say, for a decade and a half, the main idol of Luigi Ferraris was precisely Roberto Mancini. A photo of a player with titles won can still be found today in the club museum of the club from Genoa.

At the end of his career as a player, the striker managed to play for three years in the Roman Lazio (with which, by the way, he won six titles, including the Cup Winners' Cup) and even played five games in the English Premier League as part of Leicester.

coaching activities

While still a Lazio player, Roberto Mancini, thanks to his vast experience, often acted as an assistant to the head coach of the Romans, Sven-Göran Eriksson. It is not surprising that in 2000 the ex-forward of the Blues headed one of the clubs in Serie A - Fiorentina. The first pancake, as usual, turned out to be lumpy, and after only a few months the coach left Florence. Things went a little better for the young specialist in his native Lazio. Roberto won the Coppa Italia with the team, but was soon also forced to leave the capital's club due to financial troubles and scandals related to the activities of the president.

From 2004 to 2008, Mancini headed Inter Milan, with whom he achieved very good success in the domestic arena. The Italian mentor became the champion of the country three times and triumphed in the national Cup two more times. Later (in 2014), Roberto signed a contract with the Nerazzurri for another two seasons, but not only failed to win anything with the team, but also showed uninteresting, inconsequential football.

Personnel decides everything

The main achievement of Mancini during his management of the Milan team is rightfully considered not to be won titles (although the Italian was very successful in this aspect), but the ability to get a potentially strong player into the team for relatively little money or even for free. For four years, Hernan Crespo, Julio Cesar, and it is very difficult to overestimate the merit of Roberto Mancini in these transfers. The model of his Inter was used even by the odious one, which in 2010 won the Champions League with the Nerazzurri.

At Manchester City

At the end of the first decade of the new century, Football England appeared another financial project, built on Arab capital, under the name "Manchester City". Roberto Mancini was invited to manage the new “car”, with whom the club signed a contract for 3.5 years.

The Italian continued to show miracles of football flair in Foggy Albion, otherwise how can one explain that Yaya Toure, David Silva and the current attack leader Sergio Aguero appeared in the team with his arrival? By the way, it is this trinity that makes up the backbone of the "blue moon" to this day.

The Italian spent four years in Manchester and left mixed memories of himself. On the one hand, after several decades, he returned the titles to the club and played spectacular and effective football. On the other hand, by investing fabulous sums in the development of City, the Arab sheikhs probably intended to win the main European tournament- The Champions League, and the Italian did not manage to do this.

Roberto Mancini: tactics and strategies

The Italian mentor is the most experimental in terms of confrontation and use various tactics. English journalists have been forced to "scratch their heads" more than once, having recognized the starting line-up for the upcoming match and noted that Mancini's actions often cause them bewilderment. However, according to the same writing fraternity, such a strategy is also the trump card of the Italian specialist, because compared to the more pragmatic Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho, Mancini's Manchester City showed bright and attacking football, which the audience likes so much and which is so unusual coaches from the Apennines.