Dubai: Manchester City are ahead of schedule in their five-year plan despite Sunday's defeat to Arsenal all but ending their Premier League title challenge, according to supporters in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Mark Lynch, the founder of Dubai's Manchester City Supporters' Club, told Gulf News: "I'm devastated but in fairness they said it would be a five-year plan to take the title, so we are effectively well ahead of schedule.
"It's been three seasons, one under Mark Hughes and two under Roberto Mancini. We finished second last season and now look odds on to finish second again. We won the FA Cup and we'll have another crack at the Uefa Champions League next season. If we don't win something within two years, only then can we start doubting the manager."
Darren Ball, chairman of the Abu Dhabi supporters' group, said: "While it's a huge punch in the face for a City fan to lose out to United in the end, you have to remember we're still only heading into the fourth season of a five-year plan."
Support for Mancini
Lynch, who favours consolidation of staff over a summer shake-up, said: "Mancini got his tactics wrong over the last five games. Relying on Balotelli and Dzeko wasn't the answer. Balotelli has cost us points and Dzeko gets bullied off the ball far too easily. We should have gone with Aguero and Tevez. But Mancini is still on a learning curve with regard to English football. We've also missed the steady heads of captain Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott in the last five games."
Ball agreed. "Tactical changes have cost us dear. Against Arsenal Mancini took off a creative player in Nasri for Kolarov, whose only real strength is long shots. We have the team spirit, it just appears to be tactics and tiredness where we have fallen short. But this will all come with experience."
