Mancini Held In High Esteem

Former Chelsea manager and team-mate at Sampdoria, Gianluca Vialli has nothing but praise for Manchester City boss, Roberto Mancini.

Talking on the Richard Keys and Andy Gray show on talkSPORT radio yesterday Bobby Manc's fellow countryman certainly came across as someone who holds Roberto in high esteem.

'He is one of the best [managers]. He's likely to win the championship if not this year, next year, with Manchester City,' said Vialli.

'He's a bit underestimated, especially when he first came to England. I remember people asking why Man City didn't go for someone with more experience and a proven track record and the guy had just won three Italian championships, with Inter Milan winning 17 games in a row.'

'When you win 17 games in a row, that means as a manager you have got something. Roberto is very good at managing big-name players. He doesn't care about what they do, or what they think, he just picks whatever team he thinks is the best. And he is very good at identifying the right players for the side when he has got to go and sign them, which is a great gift.'

talkSPORT audio clip can be found here.

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