Mancini accepts City face uphill battle

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini knows winning this season’s English Premier League title is almost impossible.

Mikel Arteta’s late winner at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday gave Arsenal a 1-0 victory in which Mario Balotelli was given a second yellow card in the dying stages.

With Manchester United defeating QPR 2-0 at Old Trafford earlier in the day, City now trail their rivals by eight points with just six league matches to play.

“No, it’s not mathematically (over), but it’s clear now that it’s very difficult,” Mancini said.

“We have a game in three days and we will try to win. Never say never in football.”

Balotelli’s antics again stole the headlines with the Italian, who made several rash challenges in the match, sent off for the third time this season.

And Mancini’s frustration with the enigmatic forward was obvious after the defeat.

“I hope for him he can improve and understand he can’t continue to play like this,” he said.

“I am very sorry for him. I don’t have any words for his behaviour. I love him, he is a fantastic player, I love him as a guy but he needs to change or he can lose everything.”

“I am disappointed in him. He is young and he continues to make mistakes.”

When quizzed if he would sell the striker in the transfer window, Mancini responded: “Probably.”

Balotelli’s early lunge on Alex Song was dangerous and reckless and left fans baffled as to why he remained on the field.

“From the bench I didn’t see the first tackle but now I have seen it and Mario deserved a red card after 10 minutes,” said Mancini, who also said he hoped the FA would look at the tackle which referee Martin Atkinson did not spot.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was furious after Balotelli’s challenge on Song and vented his anger after the match.

“Fortunately, he didn’t (break his leg),” Wenger said.

“If the referee had television, he would have given him a red card. I thought it was a bad tackle. I said to my physio, ‘What happened to Song?’ because he said he was touched at the knee.”

“I thought maybe it was a red card but I didn’t know until I saw it.”

Arteta was delighted with his strike from distance that sent Arsenal two points ahead of Tottenham in third position.

“Well, (the result) was so important,” Arteta told Sky Sports.

“It’s always difficult when you play a team like Manchester City. When you get ten chances, you have to take three or four of them because they’ve got the quality up front to create trouble for you, but we did it at the end.”

“As soon as I saw the space and I saw the centre-back coming towards me, I just said I have to strike it and it went into the back of the net.”