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Mid-Day Ticker: Mancini rips Hart, Benitez open to Milan move, and more

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photo by ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart may have been right, but head coach Roberto Mancini does not want to see him publicly criticizing the team again.

A day after suffering a demoralizing 3-2 loss to Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League group stage, City manager Roberto Mancini said he does not want to hear Hart being critical of the team and that he is the only 'judge' for how the defending Premiership champions play. Hart criticized the team after the los at the Bernabeu Stadium, stating that the players had only themselves to blame after relinquishing a 2-1 lead late in the match.

Manchester City took two leads against the Spanish heavyweights, but two goals in the final four minutes saw Real Madrid come out on top. The loss means Man City are now in need of points in a tough Group D in order to avoid falling into a big hole in the standings.

Here are more stories to help keep your day going:

BENITEZ NOT OPPOSED TO COACHING AC MILAN

Rafa Benitez has shot down reports claiming AC Milan have approached him about taking over at the club, but that does not mean he is opposed to coaching the Italian heavyweights. Benitez's agent revealed that the former Liverpool manager would be open to listening to an offer from AC Milan if they ever were interested in him, but that the club has not reached out to Benitez as of yet. Benitez, who has been out of coaching since December 2010, has been linked with a move to Milan due to the club's poor start to the season under current head coach Massimiliano Allegri.

AGUERO ADMITS HE WOULD HAVE JOINED MADRID OVER MAN CITY

Sergio Aguero's latest comments are unlikely to do him any favors with Manchester City fans. Aguero revealed that he would have joined Real Madrid instead of Man City had the Spanish giants made a bid for him in 2011. Aguero, who is currently nursing an injury, made the comments to refute a report that said he would never play for Real Madrid. The Argentine striker joined Manchester City last summer on a $61.1 million deal from Atletico Madrid in what proved to be the English club's most expensive acquisition of that transfer window.

FOREST LOOKING TO LOAN OUT FINDLEY

Robbie Findley has yet to make an appearance this season for Nottingham Forest and it appears he will soon be shipped out in order to find minutes. A number of Championship and League One clubs are reportedtly looking into acquiring the 27-year-old forward on loan, though there is no word yet as to which teams are interested. Findley scored six goals last season but has not dressed at all this campaign.

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What do you think of Mancini telling Hart to stop criticizing the team? Should Milan go after Benitez if their poor start continues? Where would you like to see Findley go?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. How is he like Favre?

    People actually wanted Favre to play for them and , supposedly, Favre kept them hanging.

    Have any of these alleged suitors ever actually asked Rafa to manage their team, actually made an offer?

    Since he got canned it sounds more like his agent has been floating rumours to make it seem like people actually care.

    Reply
  2. I think Hart isn’t that overrated, he is quite good. Not one of the best in the world, but very good, and he’s very young as well…

    Reply
  3. I’m waiting for an Onion headline that reads “Football World Opposed to Benitez.”

    The man takes over at Liverpool and wins the CL, largely with another manager’s players (although he did bring Alonso in). He spends the next 5 years with only one legitimate PL challenge, then gets fired. He goes to an Inter Milan side that just won the CL and gets fired midway through the season, with Inter in 14th place (with the exact same players). Perhaps he is not as good as he thinks he is.

    So, as you said…Favre.

    Reply
  4. Let’s also remember that Kompany did his best turtle-head impression. Hart looked completely surprised that the shot made it all the way to him.

    What Hart said was completely true and wasn’t inflammatory at all, and for Mancini to publicly bash him, this may start something behind the scenes, no?

    Reply
  5. I don’t necessarily see what Hart said that was particularly out of line. It’s probably a good thing Mancini doesn’t coach Hope Solo.

    Reply
  6. At first I thought the winner was a soft goal, but take another look at that third ball and pretend you don’t know where it’s gonna knuckle. Yes he looked silly, but it truly was a quality goal; the angle and english on the ball totally handcuffed him. Same for the second goal Casillas let in, which at first glance looked soft as well.

    Reply
  7. Complaining about a Romney ad is not inherently political. Just like saying I hate the Messi EA sports Fifa ’13 adds wouldn’t mean I dislike Messi, Barca, soccer or EA Fifa games.

    It is silly to ask for “one place on the internet that people don’t talk politics!” while defending political ads on the website and assuming comments are political.

    Reply
  8. That’s the spirit, pgloerse! We should all keep our personal beliefs in check so SBI can make money. OR, as the putative consumers of this site, we could register our opinions on the ads that wil make it less likely we’ll patronize the site.

    Reply
  9. Ads pay for the site – keep your political opinions to yourself. Can we get just one place on the internet that people don’t talk politics!

    Reply

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