Champions League: Mancini to quickly fix Man City

Roberto Mancini gave a frank assessment of City's performance
As Roberto Mancini reveals he knows what must be done to rectify City's problems, Christian Crowther asks just what these problems might be?
On another frustrating night in the Champions League for Man City, Mancini was in forthright mood as he faced the inevitable inquest in the post-match interview.
Normally the epitome of calm, on this occasion the Italian could hardly curtail his anger at another lacklustre display in Europe from his cast of mega stars.
Mancini said: "I know the problem and I will resolve very quickly this problem"
So just exactly what is this 'problem' which the Italian is referring too? Here are some suggestions.
Fitness Levels:
This is something which Mancini alluded to directly in the interview, suggesting that Borussia Dortmund showed the greater levels of fitness during the 90 minutes.
This is a tricky thing to judge from the outside but it could be that some players are still dining off the cake of success from last season and have neglected to get back on the treadmill so far this campaign. You'd expect squat thrusts and shuttle runs will be making a comeback at Eastlands over the next few weeks.
Leaving out Lescott:
It's often said that the best teams are made up of many partnerships and few looked more cohesive than Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott last season.
After all, during their title wining campaign City enjoyed a 70% win rate with the former Evertonian in the side and only 60% without him. Playing 19-year-old Matija Nastasic for a Champions League game of such magnitude from the start is questionable.
Changing formation:
If partnerships are paramount to success then so is sticking to a winning formula. Last season with so much attacking talent at his disposal, Mancini often chose to play the likes of Mario Balotelli in a five man midfield which he alternated to a 4-4-2 against weaker opposition. One thing he never messed around with though was the defensive four. It therefore seems strange that he has suddenly decided to play five at the back on some occasions this season, as was the case for 20 minutes last night - coinciding with Dortmund's most threatening period in the game.
Whatever the Italian was making reference to, Man City are not playing with the sort of swagger you'd expect from the champions of England.
All is not lost for City in Europe though. As Mancini suggested this may well be viewed as a vital point come the end of the group stages.
With two wins from their next two encounters against Ajax, by far the weakest opposition in Group D, City could be right back in it.
At 2.0811/10 to qualify this makes a tempting price to back the sky blues to turn it around.