Manchester City new-boy Maicon has defended Roberto Mancini’s “passion”, stating that the Italian is just as fiery as Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
The 31-year-old left-back, who moved to the Premier League champions on transfer deadline day, has defended his former Inter Milan manager following another touchline bust-up.
Mancini, who convinced the Brazilian to turn down the likes of Chelsea, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, fell out with Aston Villa counterpart Paul Lambert during his side’s Capital One Cup defeat on Wednesday.
However, Maicon believes all top-level managers must show the same determination as Mancini and local rival Sir Alex Ferguson.
He said: “If Ferguson has the hairdryer, Roberto has the same passion.
“Roberto is no different. He’s a winning manager like the other ones so he has the same passion.
“All winning managers are the same and they show this passion to the players because they really want to win.”
Mancini has clashed with many Premier League managers during this time in England, such as Everton’s David Moyes, but Maicon insists that the City players are happy to have him fighting their corner from the touchline.
He continued: “Roberto can get passionate but, generally speaking, he likes to keep quiet and keep the atmosphere around the team calm.
“But, of course, the players appreciate it when the manager speaks up for the team, especially because he puts the pressure on him rather than giving it to the players.
“If he gets angry he reminds everybody of the standards required. There is a minimum requirement that is always there. The players know they have to perform at that level.
“All the teams I played in have won, so all the managers I have worked with have made their contribution.”
The Seleção international has been suffering with a heel injury since moving to Eastlands, but he hopes City can turn around their inconsistent start to the campaign when they take on Fulham this Saturday.
“I know that Roberto is very focused. He wants to improve and we have to improve quickly because we can’t afford to have any more distance between us and the teams at the top of the league,” Maicon concluded.
