? City not getting carried away in pursuit of top-four finish
? 'There is a lot of hard work to come,' says assistant manager
Brian Kidd, the Manchester City assistant manager, believes the Premier League title is now "Manchester United's to lose" despite an encouraging first half of the season that has seen Roberto Mancini's side go joint top, level on 38 points with their city rivals, albeit having played two games more.
Kidd was Sir Alex Ferguson's No2 at Old Trafford between 1991 and 1998, during which time United won the league four times, and knows it takes more than pure ability to collect the major prizes. Handling pressure is also a crucial factor and for as long as it was plausible, the City manager, Mancini, dismissed his own side's chances of glory by claiming Chelsea would finish top "easily". Now Kidd is pointing to his old club as the likely champions come May.
"It's obviously Manchester United's to lose now," he said. "It is in their hands. You can't get away from that fact. They have been round the block and know how to win league titles. Their work is not done in January. Everyone gets kidded that they hit form about now but they start with their preparation in July and go on from that."
City host Blackpool on Saturday, the same day the transfer window opens, after collecting maximum points from the first two games of a four-match programme over Christmas and the new year. Reports have suggested that the Eastlands club are on the verge of signing the Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko and Kidd says that Mancini will only bring in players who can improve City's chances of challenging at the top of the table.
"I don't think it's right to speak about other players at other clubs," said Kidd. "Only one man will decide ? and that's the boss. If he feels he can improve the squad and there's a player available he will definitely explore that."
Although it is Mancini's preference to play one man up front ? usually the captain, Carlos Tevez, though Mario Balotelli scored a hat-trick in the role against Aston Villa on Tuesday ? the 24-year-old Dzeko would be a very useful battering ram, providing the Blues with a different option in a squad Kidd already feels is the best in the league.
"I wouldn't swap our squad for anyone else's," he said. "The lads have done terrifically well. It has always been a top-four place that we were aiming for and we are doing OK on that. But nobody is getting carried away and we know there is a lot of hard work to come."
Mancini intends to freshen up his side to face Blackpool ahead of a significant trip to Arsenal next Wednesday. Kolo Tour� is expected to return, along with J�r�me Boateng, Aleksandar Kolarov and Tevez as City look to become the first team to complete a league double over Ian Holloway's surprise packages.
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