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Mancini told his job is safe at City... even if they lose out to United in title race

Mansour has declared the club's season a success even if they come up short in their efforts to catch rivals Manchester United in the Premier League title race.

City trail United by three points going into next Monday's derby at the Etihad Stadium, but have a superior goal difference and know that by winning their three remaining matches they would almost certainly claim a first league crown since 1968.

Your job is safe, Roberto: Mancini after City's win over Wolves on Sunday

 

hey were handed a second chance when United threw away a 4-2 lead to draw 4-4 with Everton on Sunday, with City having blown a five-point advantage over the defending champions in recent weeks.

Mansour, in rare public comments, told Abu Dhabi TV he was excited to have a shot at the title, but was already pleased with how the season has gone.

'The difference is three points and we do have a chance,' he said.

Happy enough: Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour says Roberto Mancini's job is safe

'But whatever happens and even if we don't win I am very happy and satisfied with the players, the team and the management.

'They have performed very well and have improved in their last few matches.'

The comments indicate manager Roberto Mancini's job is safe regardless of the outcome of the title race.

Right back in the race: Samir Nasri's goal helped Manchester City to beat Wolves on Sunday

After next Monday's derby showdown with United, City face a trip to Newcastle, and a home match against QPR on the final day.

Rivals United entertain Swansea in their penultimate match, and go to Sunderland on what could yet be a dramatic final weekend of the campaign.

Game on! Everton's comeback has thrown the title race back open again

Pep lets his guard drop: Ice-cool Barca boss shows he’s feeling the heat after hard week

If a bad week points to something more serious, if Barcelona are on the brink of collapse, there was not a huge amount of evidence here on Monday. 

Beaten twice and in danger of losing their manager as well as a place in a Champions League final that was considered theirs before they even met Chelsea, Barcelona have appeared chastened and  vulnerable in the past six days. 

Feeling the strain: Guardiola used the F-word during his pre-match press conference

 

They lost at Stamford Bridge. They lost again to Real Madrid - a 2-1 defeat, their first at the Nou Camp since September 2010, that  probably cost them La Liga. 

And last night, even more rarely, Pep Guardiola lost his rag. It was unusual, his sudden use of the F-word - in response to the  criticism he received for playing  20-year-old Cristian Tello on Saturday - certainly enough to create some excitement and intrigue among seasoned Barcelona watchers.

But was this the Catalan equivalent of squeaky bum time or was that limited to Lionel Messi and a gastric problem that prevented him from training on Sunday?

Centre of attention: Chelsea arrive in Spain with a slender advantage in their semi-final clash

In Gerard Pique, world and European champion, double Champions League winner and other half of Shakira, there was no great sense of crisis. 

While facing the inevitable questions about his appearance on the bench for the last two games, he managed to maintain an aura of invincibility that suggested Guardiola and his players remain extremely confident about meeting Chelsea again this evening despite the manager's outburst.

It was an impressive display by the former Manchester United  centre half, particularly on the subject of Didier Drogba. 

Under pressure: Barcelona have tasted back-to-back defeats against Chelsea and Real Madrid

Drogba's time-wasting incensed the Catalans last week but Pique, who expects to be back in the Barca defence tonight, was surprisingly generous towards the Chelsea striker, dismissing the idea he was 'diving and cheating' to slow down the game. 

'I believe in Drogba,' he said. 'I believe in his honesty.' Any hint of irony was well hidden, as were any concerns he might have in the wake of those back-to-back defeats.

Pique dismissed the idea that Barcelona's time is almost up; that they have been sussed out; that, like all the great teams, they can only remain at the top for so long.

Drog on: Pique appeared to back the under-fire Chelsea star

'In this country people talk very easily about a change of cycle,' he said. 'But things don't just change after one defeat. A team that has won 13 trophies in three-and-a-half years deserves more credit than that.' 

It does indeed, but it is also what makes the second leg of this Champions League semi-final so interesting.

All smiles: Pique was in good spirits on Monday

Three of the four trophies that have eluded Barcelona over the period Pique refers to have been won by Jose Mourinho and that has to be of some encouragement to Chelsea when Mourinho was their creator. 

Their record against the Catalans is also far from shabby. Last week Chelsea extended an unbeaten run against Barcelona to six matches, with Lionel Messi now having failed to score against them in seven.

'They are hard to play against because they are really strong, really competitive,' said Pique.

'They have players like Drogba and Lampard; players with a lot of games in their legs.' 

Old legs might find life that much more difficult on a pitch said to be 239 square metres larger than the playing surface at Stamford Bridge, even if Petr Cech argued last night it should not make a difference. But old heads and old habits need to be central to the approach Roberto Di Matteo employs. 

Barcelona will dominate possession. They have done so for 243 consecutive matches over four years, and Chelsea are sure to let them have the ball again. 

But Chelsea need to focus on what they do well - fast counter-attacks, well executed set-pieces - because it is from there the goal Di Matteo certainly thinks they will need could come. 

Of the 43 Barcelona have conceded this season, more than 25 per cent have been from set-pieces. 

Joker in the pack: Chelsea stopper Petr Cech

Cech brought the house down last night when he responded to the question of whether Mourinho had been of any assistance by jokingly revealing they had enjoyed a tactical meeting with their former manager a few hours earlier. 

But Wigan manager Roberto  Martinez is a Catalan who gives an insight into where this tie could be won and lost. 

He said: 'At Stamford Bridge you saw the biggest difference between the Premier League and La Liga; it's in the transitional play, as soon as you lose the ball, that period of three seconds. In England they kill you in those three seconds. In the first leg Messi gives the ball away to Lampard and three seconds later it is in the back of the net.

'The difference is what a team does when it first regains possession. In Spain they like to keep the ball, relieve the pressure and then start to attack. Here the first pass on regaining possession is forward. The Barcelona midfield could not cope with the speed of that transition. They could not get back into the box in time to stop Ramires and Drogba and it was started by a great ball from Lampard.' 

Martinez thinks the bigger pitch could prove significant, increasing the pressure on Chelsea to make it count when they secure a set-piece advantage or can suddenly break forward. But he sees it as an intriguing clash of styles that is hard to call. 

A clash that is complicated further by Chelsea having five players a booking away from missing the final in Munich, including David Luiz, who is unlikely to play.  Barcelona have only two. 

The desire is nevertheless strong in Chelsea. As Cech said, many of the players have been waiting eight years to lift the European Cup. But then the desire is strong in Barcelona, too, particularly when some dare suggest they are past it.

'We are ready to fight against them,' said Guardiola. Some fight it promises to be.

 

Chelsea can win it! Di Matteo backs Blues to beat Barca and then lift trophy in Munich

Roberto Di Matteo has declared Chelsea are good enough to win the Champions League as he stood on the brink of leading them to arguably the greatest victory in their history.

Barely seven weeks since taking charge and less than seven days after masterminding an astonishing semi-final first-leg win over Barcelona, caretaker Blues boss Di Matteo arrived at the Nou Camp tonight determined to complete the job.

Chelsea have been written off this season and even before that, something that prompted Di Matteo to hit out at their critics after Saturday's Barclays Premier League game at Arsenal.

In the spotlight: Chelsea boss Di Matteo takes his side in battle at the Nou Camp on Tuesday night

 

And he was adamant this evening they have what it takes to end their agonising nine-year wait for Champions League glory since Roman Abramovich bought the club.

'We do have the qualities within this team,' he said.

'I think we need away from home, as we've seen in the past, a bit of luck to be able to do well in a competition like this.

'But, certainly, the quality and the squad we have at Chelsea is very good.'

Di Matteo has been praised and condemned in almost equal measure for placing such an emphasis on defence in Wednesday's night's 1-0 first-leg win and he defended those tactics again tonight.

'You have to utilise the strengths of your players, and see what the weakness of the opposition is,' he said. 'I respect other people's opinion, but I disagree.'

An ultra-defensive formation runs a huge risk of one of Chelsea's players picking up a yellow card - or worse.

Fitness battle: Drogba took full part in the training session

With four of their likely starters one booking from a suspension, there are places in the final on the line in more ways than one.

'I don't think we can be thinking about that in the game tomorrow,' said Di Matteo, who looks set to start Branislav Ivanovic, Ashley Cole, Raul Meireles and Ramires.

'The players will be playing fully focused on their task and their responsibilities in the game. We cannot speculate on the bookings.'

Of more concern to Di Matteo is the fitness of Didier Drogba, who was the match-winner last week and once again proved a thorn in Barcelona's side.

Drogba trained tonight after missing the Arsenal game with a knee injury and Di Matteo said: 'I'll assess the physical and mental state of my players.

'I'll make the team selection tomorrow morning, so I can't tell you what it'll be tomorrow night.'

Drogba would boost Chelsea's chances of scoring an away goal that would leave Barca needing to net three.

'I do think we'll have to try and score a goal,' Di Matteo said. 'That would give us a greater chance. I think it'll be difficult just playing for a goalless draw.'

Quiet before the storm: The famous stadium is hosting the players' training ahead of the semi-final second leg

Real Madrid arguably showed Di Matteo the way, with Saturday's 2-1 victory at the Nou Camp in what could prove the Primera Division's title decider.

'You cannot take another team and another manager, with the team we have," Di Matteo said.

'We have to look at the players who will play tomorrow and try to get the best out of them, and play to the qualities of our team.'

Chelsea's recent success has been built on returning to their core values that begins with solid defending.

That has been led by John Terry and January signing Gary Cahill and Di Matteo said: "We're very pleased with the way our defenders have been playing lately.

'We've been able to defend very well, keep some clean sheets. We've been positively impressed with Gary since he came to the club.'

Meanwhile, Petr Cech admitted it felt like Groundhog Day as the club once again stood on the brink of reaching the Champions League final.

Final preparations: Di Matteo took his side through the session at the Nou Camp

Cech and his Blues team-mates arrived in Barcelona this afternoon just 90 minutes away from one of the most famous victories in their history.

The 29-year-old acknowledged that had been little more than a pipe dream when caretaker manager Di Matteo was first charged with picking up the pieces of Andre Villas-Boas' doomed reign.

But an astonishing seven weeks later and that dream is close to becoming a reality for a man who has played in five of Chelsea's six semi-finals - and their only previous final - since Roman Abramovich bought the club.

'I've been hoping for the last eight years that it would be the year I'd have a chance to win the Champions League,' Cech said ahead of tomorrow's second leg at the Nou Camp.

'Here we are again, in the semi-final. We always try to reach the final and go as far as we can, to try and win the competition.

'Many times we were close and haven't managed to do so. If we have a fantastic game tomorrow, we'll have a chance to reach the final.

'But we need to play the 90 minutes tomorrow - then we might be able to think about a final.'

In it to win it: Di Matteo has backed his players to go all the way