City manager Roberto Mancini has warned his young players to curb their drinking habits and "always behave well" in order to prolong their careers.
Goalkeeper Joe Hart, 23, was pictured on the front pages enjoying some down time in Spain earlier this month before meeting up with the England squad for the Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro.
The Italian coach finds the English drinking culture difficult to understand, claiming it would not happen in his homeland, and has spoken to Hart and winger Adam Johnson, also 23, in a bid to keep them on the straight and narrow.
Quoted in several newspapers, Mancini said: "For a young player it is important to always behave well. I can understand sometimes things can happen on holiday but it is important for them to always behave.
"I have spoken to them about this. What I said was private, but it is better they go with a woman than a drink. It is better. That is what I did when I was a player.
"In Italy the players don't have this culture to drink after the game. It is so different but I understand it is part of the English culture and it is not easy to change.
"Adam Johnson and Joe Hart are young, they are playing in the national team and they must change. It's very frustrating for me to see this behaviour because I don't understand it.
"I don't understand why a player must drink after a game. Okay, maybe one drink is okay but three, four, five, six - drinking until they are drunk - this is not good.
"One day when I first started in Leicester I went with my team-mates after training to a pub and the 10 or 12 of us drank I don't know how many beers. That wouldn't happen in Italy after training.
"We have rules at City that the players shouldn't drink in the build-up to games. But it is better if the player changes this themselves rather than me enforce it."
Mancini believes players who drink excessively when they are young will pay for it in later years.
"It is good for their career not to do this," he said. "Okay, they are young now but when you are 28 or 29 you pay the price. I don't know if you remember Pietro Vierchowod who played until he was 40 for me at 100%.
"[Javier] Zanetti at Inter Milan is 37 but is still the best player, always, because he had a good period in his life and he looked after himself.
"Maybe players in England don't play so long but also it is hard because you play every three days and if you don't have good behaviour off the pitch, it will be difficult to maintain a top level.
"That is why for me there can be no drinking before games. When you play every three days you must have 48 hours to recover.
"If you drink, if you don't sleep, you can't do it. If you are young, okay. But in one, two or three years, that will change."
Tweet
Comments
Login or Register to comment
Absolutely spot on Roberto this is sound solid advice.The last paragraph says it all and if truth be known I know from personal experience...... as too do many other correspondents I suspect!
We will all drink to those sentiments,Mr Mancini !!
Unfortunately your fighting an entire nation here Roberto, A nation that celebrates another country's patron day (St Patricks) more than their own purely because it is associated with getting drunk.
Nice to see someone taking a strong stance against this, and publically naming those individuals will hopefully have a positive effect and make them take stock, to realise their own priorities.
Big win today at Blackpool please Bobby Manc. CTWD
Yeh Roberto you are right, each one of your squad should have a misstress or two like they do in your home country.
But if I played for a club that were absolutely useless when it came to that thing, oh yes winning, I'd hit the bottle. I wouldn't be surprised if Alcoholics Anonymous becomes our next sponsor!
Players are paid to do a job and when drink gets in the way of the job you are no pulling your weight. The customer is king and he expects a return for his money other than a drunk.
Common sense says that if you drink close to a match then it effects your ability. The day will come when you go in work and you have lost your team spirit because you have been on the spirits, which effects everyone else. It causes stress, fatigue, personality and behavioral changes creep in. In the meantime the fans have to put up with it. There is not much wrong with moderation and there is plenty in life to enjoy without thinking of having a guzzle all the time.
I don't think the players would be happy if they were being driven around by someone who had been on the beer the night before. Do we really have to hold their hands. Luckily we are at a club that won't take any nonsense. I wouldn't have the cheek to be brazen and collect the cash and feel that I can do what I want in a negative manner. There is the limelight and then there is the limelight with a red filter over it and a big red warning sign over it. Sorry, no blind leading the blind at this place.
".... it is better they go with a woman than a drink".
I can't believe that he said that. What must players' wives, fiancés, girlfriends and boyfriends think of that advice?
June and July for drinking, the rest for working.
Sex and the City! :o)
As usual it is the English players in the City squad (who have yet to win anything in their careers) letting the side down. I thought that what happened to Tony Adams, Paul Merson and Paul Gascoigne would have been warning enough for the modern English footballer, but they're so irresponsible they don't even take notice of their more experienced non-English team mates who don't feel the need to go out and get paralytic (although worryingly it appears Balotelli may have some rather 'English' habits) and yet have all won things whilst being relatively 'sober'. Am totally behind Mancini cracking down on this.
Jowe Hart listen and learn you are not the real deal yet.
Let's drink to the Prem in May!
Nice to see the MUEN have found a picture of Joe Hart looking like a Nightclub Bouncer. Why not just use a photo of Oliver Reed and put "Joe Hart - pictured above" - underneath it.............
Even Better though was this one.........
MANCINI - "Id rather my players go out with a girl than on the lash with the lads" (to me he is obviously referring to going out for a meal or something like that. But what have the scum journos turned it into. This........
MANCINI - "Personally i wish i had 11 rooneys. After a game i want my players going out and bedding as many women as possible, youve heard that phrase 'every h*le is a goal' - well i really mean it and thats what i keep telling the players. This is most important. If you cant score during the match then for christs sake at least get out there and score in the bedroom, curb crawl if you have to. What we need is a winning mentality on the pitch, and a sleazy one off it. By the way, has anyone seen my copy of "Caligula" - i left it in the VCR and its disappeared - i can only hope one of my players has borrowed it and is doing some homework - its been discontinued you know"..........
Some of the Journalists tongues could un-cork a wine bottle as they clearly have no ethics, no scruples and probably no reflection..........
Good advice from Bobby Manc, although when talking about the Italian style in terms of their social habits (less drinking), and stating "Maybe players in England don't play so long but also it is hard because you play every three days, and if you don't have good behaviour off the pitch, it will be difficult to maintain a top level.....", there is also the style of game that affects a player's longevity in England.
It is a FACT that for decades (even pre-Premiership years) the English game and other games (German, Dutch, Spanish inclusive) have played at a faster pace than the Italian Game. The Premiership is now the fastest & most physical League in the World bar none, hence more severe Injuries suffered from "nothing" tackles when compared to most other Leagues.
Should Mancini come anywhere near to matching BIG MAL's fitness programme, alongside his (already) impressive Man-Management & game tactics methods in place, then I can see us seriously challenging for this season's League Title &/or UEFA CUP.
HERE'S HOPING. COME ON CITY !!
........Martin Bebbington (another Salford Blue - ONE OF MANY).
Spot on. These are highly tuned and highly paid athletes. For some reason in Britain drinking is ingrained but the reality is that you are filling your body with toxins. No way should professional sportsmen be doing this.
Surely making love to a mistress and a wife is far more tiring then having a few beers NO spirits at any time! you can drink spirits After you retire.
Good win against Blackpool....
Robin .....Down Under... Go the blues.....
Best, Kennedy etc
big blummer sydney:Very funny!