The City boss said that he had made mistakes in preparing for the trip to Everton which cost his side as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat, their ninth loss in the last 14 visits to a bogey stadium.
The City boss did not go into detail, but he said that it was his fault: “It was a bad night for me.
“We didn’t deserve to lose, but I think there were some minor mistakes in this game. We didn’t play very well in this game and maybe we had a problem.
“I acknowledge my mistake. It is important for me to know this because I can’t make the same mistakes in the next game.
“I didn’t prepare well for this game. I thought it was maybe easier and I know that here it is never easy, never.”
Mancini has deflected criticism in the past, and also held up his hands if he felt he has contributed to a defeat.
But whether it was the Blues’ failure to exploit a small Everton back four by not getting balls in the air to 6ft 3in Edin Dzeko, or another factor, is unclear.
He did say that he was not referring to team selection: “No, not this, because I thought all the players played very well.
“We didn’t prepare well during the training for the same situations you can find during the game.
“Sometimes it is impossible always to do well. I didn’t (prepare well) during training in the last three or four days”
He said that he had no problem with the amount of effort put in by his players: “The players put everything on the pitch but I made some mistakes during the last three days preparing for this game. I didn’t prepare very well.
“For this reason we lost this game but I also feel we didn’t deserve it because they had two chances to score and we were so unlucky in the same situation.
“When you don’t prepare very well during the week, when you arrive to play in the game you can’t play 100 per cent.
The Blues are now level on points with rivals United after a defeat effected, ironically, by a goal from ex-Red Darron Gibson.
But Mancini admitted he had underestimated Everton, despite having only won once against them since he came to the club, perhaps beause they were missing key players Sylvain Distin, Phil Jagielka, Leon Osman, Seamus Coleman and Jack Rodwell.
“We played well against Tottenham, and we won the last three games in the Premier League,” he said.
“I thought Everton were without three or four important players, and maybe we did these mistakes. It can happen.”
But the Blues have a great chance of opening up a gap again on Saturday, when they take on Fulham at home, while the Reds travel to Chelsea the following day.
Mancini said the closing of the gap at the top was irrelevant at this stage.
“This is not important,” he said. “We are on the top again. We have 15 games. It is important next Saturday we win the game at home. We have time.”
David Moyes, celebrating his 150th victory as a Premier League manager, said: “That might be one of the best I’ve had.
“I thought it was a brilliant effort and a great result for us.”
Moyes was also relieved to bring in striker Nikica Jelavic from Rangers on transfer deadline day, while letting Louis Saha go on a six-month loan to Spurs.
He said: “We’ve been looking to bring in a striker for a long time. To get one done gives us something else.”
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A predictable result. Against organised teams who put everyman behind the ball we often lack the craft and guile to create chances. In these games, Edin may as well not be on the pitch (I like him and am not slagging him). Trouble is, there was no real Plan B.
It is ludicrous that we have the talent of Balotelli, Tevez, and Ade on our books yet they aren't available. Mario needs a proper dressing down because he got himself banned (deservedly) for 4 crucial games at a time when we already had absentees. I also think we need to somehow sought the situation with CT so he is back in the fold. You don't have to like people to work with them. Cannot do anything about Ade.
We can't win every game and are still well placed, but we are making hard work of things and not really helping ourselves.
Fellow Blues,
After suffering watching Dzeko play every week,
With his weak attempts at goal, His lazy attitude,
Going down to easy when fouled.
Letting Aguero do all the work for two men, so he is now looking jaded.
Would any of you think about putting Tevez back in the team, even if its just till the end of the season. The guy is a goal machine and a workaholic on the pitch, and would put more effort in than Dzeko has this last month.
I know he has shafted us, but at this present time.........we are desperate for a centre forward to help Aguero.
Thoughts ????
Too right it was Mancini's fault. The team has had all its confidence drained following elimination from 3 cups all because of inept team selection.How much longer can we afford to carry this guy who appears to have no clue on either man management or team selection.Can't understand why fans have tolerated this so long.
70-year City supporter.
Roberto you don't make many mistakes, last time you said it was your fault was at Anfield last year and we went on to beat the rags and win the cup. We must beat Fulham, can't see Chelsea doing any favours, Swansea beat them off the park, although if Chelsea win and then Liverpool beat them the next week we could be 6 points clear before Yaya returns.
LETS HOPE CTID!!
UNDERestimating Everton ? ......... unbelievable.
City were at Goodison, ................ not Mould Trafford.
Senor Mancini ............. NO underestimating Fulham !
Come ON City
Bad night at the office everton played out of their skins against us but roll over against other opposition. We have a good run of games coming up please blues dont blow all this hard work now. This is defo a 2 horse race come on you blues.
i am, for the first time disgusted in Mancini and i feel for the city fans having to watch that....Problem is with Mancini he has no plan B....Why oh why did you take Milner off and leave Barry on, got to be his worst game..Still looking forward to Sat though.
Never thought I would write this but we need to raise the bar we are supposed to be the richest club we need the best manager in the world at the present time , he could be avialable in the summer Roberto is fantastic but compare records he is an also run you don't shop at primark if you can afford Harrods we should go for Mourinho which I think the owners will if we don't win the league
How about actually admitting bigger mistakes than last night. Edin Dzeko is in the same mould as Lee Bradbury, I've gotta say these has been the worst signing ie ratio to money spent I have ever seen. Move him on quickly because the team do not function one bit when he is selected.
I cant believe how you continue backing Balotelli when the way he has behaved since coming here makes Tevez look a saint. But Balotelli is your signing so you feel you cant admit your mistake by moving him on too with Dzeko as his one way taxi driver.
Also start seeing what all of us who pay good money and follow us round the country by realising how poor the following players are.
1.Kolarov - terrible
2.Dzeko - terrible
3.Lescott - not good enough for first team selection every week
4.Barry - Charlie Nicholas was bang on last night, this team will not pick up the premier league title playing like we have done for 6 weeks now and keep selecting the above players week in week out!!!
Shocking admission and you wonder why. Never seen Moyes so up for it on the touchline prowling and snarling (Mancini take notes), looks like we really get under his skin - talk about it being their cup final!!!!
Hats off for admitting you were wrong,Mancini, but didn't you already know that Everton are one of City's biggest bogey teams, , shame on you that you should never underestimate the opposition , if you think you are going to be at the top of the league with those kind of thoughts, then what chance do city have. Although i feel something isn't quite right at the Etihad at the moment, we have all been saying well we have players banned, injured and away, but last night i thought we had a very strong team out, but they were very sloppy, and cannot get these well needed goals,why can we not get them in, towards the beginning of the season when an easy 3 goals each match was achieved, and yes maybe the players are getting a bit too scared to tackle with all the bad decisions and bad press at the moment, and look at poor vinnie 1st time back out and a yellow card, and the press now saying city are the crazy gang,you need to fight for your lives boys, and prove you can do it, onwards and upwards.good luck on saturday , you definately need luck now on your side
CPRUS CITIZENS
Watched the game last night, Tim Howard no saves to make, midfield no cohesion, no threat. The fluency seems to have gone and not just down to Yaya Toure missing does not explain everything, we still lost at Sunderland with him playing. Build up play too slow and too many poor passes. Need to get our act together soon.
Maybe it's time for the Ninja to settle back in the midfield.
Staggering and sack-worthy. Mourinho - or Ferguson for that matter - would never be so ridiculously complacent. And it's hardly as if the team is playing well. The title has gone. No kids, no Yaya and no forwards.
This is a bad admission from Roberto. When you are trying to win your first title in 43 years you should prepare for every game as if it was Barcelona in the Champions League Final. Top Managers leave no stone unturned.
This is just not good enough.
Is there some reason Mancini won't call back Guidetti or Adebayor? Surely, with a depleted strike force - and the useless Dzeko this would have helped?
We enjoyed a huge amount of possession and yet we still couldn’t find a way past our bogey team who earned their victory through their doggedness and hard work.
Roberto has blamed himself for underestimating Everton and not preparing ourselves properly. At face value this is rather bewildering given our appalling record at Everton, and indeed Merseyside. I view this statement more of him taking the pressure of his players rather than failings in his preparations. He has been the master of preparing this team.
The players gave perhaps their worst performance in the League this season. We didn’t pass the ball quickly enough and this allowed Everton’s well drilled players to fall back into position. We did not pass the ball well enough and our final ball lacked the quality to hurt Everton. As a result we failed to really test Everton’s two makeshift centre halves in Hibbert and Heitinga.
What I didn’t understand was moving Clichy to from left back to right back for the last few minutes of the game, giving us two left footers (Johnson had come as sub) on the right wing. Naturally they came back inside onto their left foot, thus narrowing the attack, when we needed to use the full width of the pitch to stretch the Everton defence. All managers make mistakes though.
We can expect a big improvement on Saturday.
Peculiar comments from Mancini. May be the pressure is getting to him. It's really up to him to identify what might be going wrong, and address it. I dont think he knows how to get the best out of his striking options. I dont think they benefit from a system which is intent on walking the ball in, playing an extra pass, and not feeding the ball in from wide. Let's hope he can tune things up, and concentrate on getting the ball much quicker to the final 3rd. Looking forward to an improved performance against 'struggling' Fulham.
A little psychological gee up, never hurt anyone.
Very poor. City needed to buy a few more playyers in the window. I think Kompany needs to start playing football again. Another booking for clogging! Needed a goal at the end and bring on DeJong???
The only top class first team players we have are Hart, Kompany, Richards, Yaya, Silva and Kun.
good squad players (2nd team) are Zab, Nige, Clichy, Milner and Nasri
The rest are a waste of space and Barry needs to learn to take a shot in the face and I am happy to deliver the shot
Despite Mancini's words, it's clearly the team who are struggling at the moment, rather than the Manager. We seem to have lost the pace we showed for the first 4 months of the season and take an age to get the ball forward.
We are also struggling to find each other in vital areas, with too many passes underhit or going astray in the final third of the pitch. A couple of the players are finding it hard going - especially Sergio, to whom the incessant run of matches, with little respite, must be a real shock.
Added to this we have vital missing players, poor luck and a shocking catalogue of bad referreeing decisions (HOW did Drenthe not get a red card last night?) and you have a side that are finding things very difficult at the moment.
If we want to be the best, we have to find a way through this bad spell and start going forward again: if we don't manage to do so, then THAT will be Mancini's fault. a few goals against Fulham would be a nice way to start!
I must disagree we the fans did not prepare well - we forgot to go out and give the game a miss!!!!
After reading some of these comments i am digusted at my fellow so called a City fans. Mancini is not good enough??? - a lot of people have very short memories and a warped understanding of football.
Shocking interview & his body language was disturbing to say the least. I firmly believe that all the back four messing about in the cups & ECL have knocked our confidence & now threatens to undermine what has to date been a fabulous league campaign. Could it be that a series of utterly baffling team selections have harmed dressing room morale? Roberto's demeanor after the game could hardly be described as that of a man who leads a harmonious squad or who even knows what he is doing so he needs to pull himself together before things get seriously out of control. At least we still have time to stop the rot that has set in recently!