Fear ... Roberto Mancini says Barclays Premier League sides fear Sir Alex's Red Devils. Source: Tim Hales / AFP
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini says his side are the equal of local rivals Manchester United, despite the fact they are well off the pace in the fight for the title.
| P | W | D | L | GD | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man United | 30 | 25 | 2 | 3 | 39 | 77 |
| 2 | Man City | 30 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 29 | 62 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 31 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 28 | 58 |
| 4 | Tottenham | 32 | 17 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 58 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 31 | 16 | 8 | 7 | 27 | 56 |
| 6 | Everton | 31 | 13 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 52 |
| 7 | Liverpool | 32 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 49 |
| 8 | West Brom | 32 | 13 | 5 | 14 | -1 | 44 |
| 9 | Swansea | 32 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 41 |
| 10 | Fulham | 31 | 10 | 9 | 12 | -4 | 39 |
| 11 | Southampton | 32 | 9 | 10 | 13 | -7 | 37 |
| 12 | West Ham | 31 | 10 | 7 | 14 | -9 | 37 |
| 13 | Newcastle | 32 | 10 | 6 | 16 | -14 | 36 |
| 14 | Norwich | 32 | 7 | 14 | 11 | -19 | 35 |
| 15 | Stoke | 32 | 7 | 13 | 12 | -11 | 34 |
| 16 | Aston Villa | 32 | 8 | 9 | 15 | -24 | 33 |
| 17 | Sunderland | 32 | 7 | 10 | 15 | -11 | 31 |
| 18 | Wigan | 31 | 8 | 7 | 16 | -20 | 31 |
| 19 | QPR | 32 | 4 | 12 | 16 | -23 | 24 |
| 20 | Reading | 32 | 5 | 8 | 19 | -27 | 23 |
Second-placed City trail Barclays Premier League leaders United by 15 points ahead of Monday's derby showdown at Old Trafford but Mancini refuses to accept their inferiority.
"We know we can beat them because they are not better than us," he said. "This is sure, 100 per cent.
"We deserved to win the game at the Etihad (in December, which United won 3-2 with a stoppage-time winner). Like them, we are a strong team. There is no difference
"We are young as a team and we don't have the same importance like United yet.
"The history is very important. We can't do this in two years but maybe in 10 years."
And Mancini thinks the gap between the Manchester teams would be smaller if other teams put up more of a fight against Sir Alex Ferguson's side.
"No one plays well against United, because they only play with fear," said the Italian.
"Every team that plays against them plays very soft, because they think this game is difficult, and they can't beat them. Their mentality is poor.
"They think they can do nothing, but it is not true. If you play strong against United, you can beat them, like they can beat us."
However, Mancini wants to take a leaf out of United's book to ensure his side bounce back from this season's disappointing title defence.
The Italian said: "Last year United didn't win anything - Community Shield yes - but they continue to improve their team.
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"This can happen, you can't win every year. This is impossible in England. For this, I think we need to do better next year."
Mancini failed to land all his prime transfer targets last summer, but with new administration at the club he is confident of doing better this time around.
City did strike one important blow last week when Yaya Toure, after speculation he could leave, signed a new four-year contract and spoke of his confidence in the club's future.
Mancini said: "This is important for the club, it is important that they sign new contracts.
"We know that we should buy important players for next year if we want to improve.
Meanwhile, Ferguson has warned that United are 'not going away' next season, but expects a 'big challenge' from Chelsea if Jose Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge.
Ferguson is confident his squad will continue to develop and expects his team to be firmly in title contention again next term.
"We've got a lot of youth in the team, there's no doubt about that," said the Scot. "The record over the last 20 years tells you we're not going away. So I'd expect us without doubt to have a real good challenge next year.
"Plus we'll have players who are maturing nicely. Rafa [da Silva] has proved how much he's developed this season; the goalkeeper David de Gea's progress right through the season is absolutely superb and he'll get better next year. [Shinji] Kagawa will be a far better player next year, I'm certain about that.
The United boss anticipates the usual suspects will be in the mix for the title next season and is predicting a return to top form for Chelsea, if Mourinho returns to the club to replace current interim manager Rafa Benitez.
Ferguson added: "You'd expect - if Jose goes back to Chelsea - a big challenge there.
"[Manchester] City won't go away, with the money they've got. And I think Arsenal will improve - there's some indication that Arsenal are building a better squad than people think and Tottenham have been progressing for a couple of years now.
"So it's a hard league to win, there's no doubt about that. But at this moment in time we just need to concentrate on winning the league this year."
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