Man City Manager Mancini Goes On The Defensive

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has refuted Carlos Tevez’s claims that he treated the attacker ‘like a dog’, and feels the opposite could be the case.

The Argentina international has just returned to the Etihad Stadium after an unwarranted three-month leave spell in his homeland, but claimed that Mancini had treated him badly in 2011, especially in regards to his supposed refusal to come off the bench against Bayern Munich.

However, despite not wanting to delve into the issue in too much detail due to the upcoming Europa League fixture against Porto on Thursday, the Italian has defended his conduct during the controversy.

“I don’t want to answer your question because the game is more important than this,” Mancini stated in a press conference, reported by BBC Sport.

“But I answer this question and then no more, because we have this game. It is an important game against a top club like Porto.

“I totally disagree with Carlos, what he said, because I never treated him badly.

“Maybe the opposite, I treated him too well, always,” he concluded.

It remains to be seen whether or not Tevez will play a part for the Premier League leaders during the rest of the campaign, as the club trained without him on Wednesday according to The Telegraph.