• FA Cup

Kolo: City must win Cup to save Mancini

ESPN staff
February 19, 2013
Roberto Mancini is contending with speculation over his future © Getty Images
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Kolo Toure believes Manchester City have to win the FA Cup this season to ensure that Roberto Mancini remains at Eastlands.

Mancini's position at City has come under scrutiny, with the club having once again failed to qualify from their Champions League group and Manchester United now 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League.

The Italian launched a passionate defence of his reign after the 4-0 FA Cup victory over Leeds United, saying he had been the "best manager in England" over the last 15 months, but Toure feels winning that competition is now a necessity.

Asked in The Times whether Mancini would have to win the FA Cup to save his job, Toure said: "Yes, of course. It's very important for the players, for us to win, because that will help the manager to be here, for sure."

While Toure has played up the importance of winning the FA Cup, which in 2011 gave Mancini his first trophy in England, he is also not ready to abandon hope of retaining the Premier League.

He added in the Daily Mirror: "We don't want to end a season without winning something. That would be hard for City now. We've delivered and we need to maintain that by winning trophies. Always, always, for a team like City, it's difficult to go for a season without winning one trophy.

"For us, the FA Cup is really important, and the league as well, because we want to maintain this trophy. For us it's very important because, when you win the Premier League for the first time, you want to get it to keep it.

"It's very difficult at the moment but the season isn't finished and for us we're looking to the next game and to try to win it."

City face Barnsley in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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