Mancini fighting to keep duo

Man City manager does not want to lose Tevez or Dzeko

Edin Dzeko: Linked with a move away from Man City but Roberto Mancini hopes he will stay

Sky Bet

• Roberto Mancini has admitted it will not be easy to keep hold of Carlos Tevez and Edin Dzeko, but he hopes the duo will stay at Manchester City.

Tevez's future has been the subject of intense speculation since last summer and he has again been linked with a move away from the Etihad Stadium during the transfer window, although last week he stated that he is feeling settled at City.

Fellow striker Dzeko has also reportedly attracted the attention of clubs such as Juventus and Bayern Munich, but Mancini has made it clear that he has no intention of letting either player leave.

Mancini's focus is on strengthening his squad rather than weakening it, as he accepts that City need to improve to compete with Europe's finest.

"Both Dzeko and Tevez will stay at City. We are a great team and we try to keep all our great players," said the Italian.

"It won't be easy, but they will stay here.

"We still lack a couple of players to reach (the level of) Real Madrid and Barcelona. Our mentality has to grow season by season.
"

Blues pre-season: Manchester City 0 Al Hilal 1

Manchester City's pre-season campaign began with a surprise defeat to Al Hilal in Austria on Friday night. It was their first game since dramatically clinching the Premier League title on the final day of the season. And despite starting with a team which included a number of first-team regulars, Alabid Nawaf Shaker’s goal midway through the second half was enough to hand the Saudi side victory. Roberto Mancini named Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure and Carlos Tevez in his team for City’s first pre-season friendly, exactly two months after they had started against QPR at the Etihad Stadium on the final day of the season. Aleksandar Kolarov and Adam Johnson – who had been suffering from a virus – were also named in the starting XI but City never got into any kind of rhythm in a first-half that had all the intensity and tempo you would expect of a pre-season friendly. Mancini, who used 24 players in total during the game, made 10 substitutions at the break introducing Dedryck Boyata, Kolo Toure and Stefan Savic, as well as youngsters Harry Bunn, Jeremy Helan and Croatian trialist Mario Jelavic. But while they were looking to make an impression on Mancini, it was Shaker who made his mark on the scoreline, jinking past Boyata and shooting past substitute goalkeeper Eirik Johansen in the 68th minute. City play Dynamo Dresden in Innsbruck on Tuesday before facing Besiktas on Friday.

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini signs new five-year contract to scotch speculation over Russia job

Roberto Mancini has agreed a new five-year contract as manager of Manchester City as the club looks to progress into a European force.

Job well done: Roberto Mancini has signed a new five-year contract with Manchester City 

Although there were claims Mancini was wanted by the Russian Football Federation to take charge of their national side, the Italian was always expected to commit long-term to the City project having secured their first league title in 44 years in May.

A contract of around £35 million was rumoured to be on offer if he took the Russia job and while the terms of his new deal at City have not been released, he has been rewarded with an improved financial package.

“I am delighted to be able to give all of my efforts to Manchester City

for a further five years,” said Mancini. “The opportunity which exists to build on our recent success is enormous.

"Manchester City is a fantastic football club, from the owner, chairman, board and the executive team, through to the players, staff and fans. I am very much looking forward to the challenges and excitement ahead."

The former Inter Milan manager took over at City from Mark Hughes in December 2009 and ended a 35-year trophy drought in his first full season by winning the FA Cup and also secured Champions League football with a third-place finish in the Premier League.

The club’s interim chief executive officer, John MacBeath, added: “Roberto’s managerial credentials have been well proven in Europe for many years and in leading a team which has won the FA Cup and an unforgettable Premier League title in successive seasons, his ability to manage in the English domestic game is also undisputed.

"This new agreement allows Roberto to focus on the challenge of guiding a team which is capable not only of defending the Premier League title, but one which can compete for European honours."

Manchester City left-back Wayne Bridge set to complete surprise move to Brighton today

Wayne Bridge is poised to complete his surprise move from Manchester City to Brighton later today.

Heading south: Wayne Bridge will swap Premier League champions Manchester City's bench for a first team spot with Championship 

The former England and Chelsea defender has agreed to join Gus Poyet's Championship team in a loan deal that will run until the end of the season.

Bridge, 31, was a £10 million signing by Mark Hughes in January 2009 and once regarded as a genuine threat to Ashley Cole as England's first choice left-back.

But he fell out of favour at Manchester City spectacularly when Roberto Mancini replaced Hughes and has been loaned out to West Ham and Sunderland in the last two seasons.

Now Poyet, the Brighton manager, is set to complete an audacious swoop by taking Bridge to the Amex Stadium.

City are believed to have agreed paying a substantial amount of his £100,000 a week wages to push the deal through.

The qualities of England's No1 goalkeeper Joe Hart

AGILITY

The most fundamental quality of any goalkeeper is their athleticism and shot-stopping ability. When the manager of your biggest rivals, Sir Alex Ferguson, starts waxing lyrical about you, unprompted, during interviews with DJ Spoony you know you’ve got something about you.

“If you look at the England goalkeeper situation for the last 20 years, I would think he’s easily the best,” said Ferguson. “I could have bought Joe Hart for £100,000. We all make mistakes.”

CONCENTRATION LEVELS

Goalkeeping for a successful team is a more specialist occupation, demanding high concentration levels during prolonged periods of inactivity. Often, keepers at struggling clubs shine most because they have so much to do so get more chance to look better than they are.

Hart was exceptional last season because he made crucial saves that proved the difference in City winning the title.

“This season is why they’re talking about Joe as the world’s best,” his team mate Gareth Barry said after a crucial last-minute save in a 1-0 win at Aston Villa. “Every game he’s making one or two great saves; he’s going to be England’s No1 for a long time.”

PRESENCE

There are those goalkeepers whose mere presence can intimidate strikers into fluffing their lines in front of goal. Manchester United Peter Schmeichel’s stature was such he seemed to cover the entire goal area when faced with a one-on-one situation. The similarities with Hart have been noted by his Old Trafford rivals. The City admits relying on his reflexes, relishing personal duels with attacks.

“Hart makes good reaction saves and great blocks,” said former United keeper Edwin van der Saar. “That’s a little bit the Peter Schmeichel way and that’s one of his strong points.”

MATURITY

Despite only being 25, Hart is mature enough to have warranted demands for him to be named England captain. He has displayed his leadership qualities on several occasions during Manchester City’s title surge.

While his manager wrote off City’s title chances at one stage, Hart issued the rallying cries. “There is no point in us turning up for games if the title race is over,” he said when City trailed by eight points. “We’ve still got to believe, we’ve still got to fight for every single point available.”