Out-of-form midfielder Samir Nasri has hit back at Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini, claiming Arsene Wenger is the best manager he has worked with.
Mancini criticised the midfielder’s effort this season and said he would like to punch the Frenchman, who is not living up to his potential.
Nasri reacted angrily to these suggestions and defended his poor season, but conceded Mancini’s comments may have been exaggerated, due to the language barrier.
“Mancini showed bad faith in his comments,” he told French TV station BeInSport. “He’s exaggerating. If he wants to hit me then he should hit me.
“He doesn’t necessarily speak all that good English so sometimes his comments are a bit raw. When he said I trained at 50%, that wasn’t true.
“I haven’t had a good season, I am aware of that and the first to admit it. To say it’s because of a lack of effort just isn’t true.”
Nasri also paid tribute to Arsenal manager and fellow countryman Arsene Wenger, who oversaw his move to the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2011.
He demonstrated a wish to work with Wenger once again, while criticising Mancini’s man management during his time at City.
“If I’d worked with Wenger at Manchester City then maybe I would have avoided some problems,” he said.
“Arsene Wenger is the greatest coach I’ve worked with, the one who understood me most, with whom I had the greatest affinity.
“I’m very grateful to him as he signed me after perhaps my worst season at Marseille when I had a bout of meningitis. He played a huge role in my career.”
Despite Nasri’s man-of-the-match display against Newcastle on Saturday, his relationship with Mancini now looks likely to be more strained than ever.
Image courtesy of mcfc, via YouTube, with thanks.
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