Mancio slams Valencia 'cowards'
Tuesday 6 March, 2007
Roberto Mancini has called Valencia players “cowards” after David Navarro broke Nicolas Burdisso’s nose with a punch.
The game ended in a shameful brawl seemingly started between Nicolas Andre Burdisso and Carlos Marchena.
The argument continued and David Navarro, who was on the Valencia bench, came up behind them and threw a punch that knocked Burdisso to the ground and reportedly fractured his nose.
This infuriated the other players, specifically Julio Ricardo Cruz and Ivan Cordoba, who literally chased Navarro down to kick him from behind on the Mestalla pitch.
The brawl continued into the players’ tunnel and locker room, where officials, Coach Roberto Mancini and Luis Figo were seen trying to get through the mass of people.
“I didn’t see anything as I went into the locker room first,” said Mancini. “The lads told me what happened. They’re very disappointed with this elimination, as the season we’ve been having made us confident we could progress. It’s a shame, as we had the chances, but couldn’t convert them.”
Mancio was shown the video footage of Navarro’s punch as his teammates were trying to hold Burdisso away from Marchena.
“He’s a coward. Anyone who punches someone from behind and then runs away is a coward.”
Burdisso was fielded in a surprising midfield role in front of the defence, as Esteban Cambiasso and Patrick Vieira are injured.
“I needed a player who would give me a bit more coverage in front of the defence. Olivier Dacourt wasn’t 100 per cent fit and I asked the full-backs to push hard. I think Burdisso did a good job and we created our chances, but all we were lacking was a goal.”
The tie was essentially lost in the 2-2 draw at San Siro in the first leg, where Inter twice let their lead slip.
“Certainly it made a big difference to concede two goals on home turf, but over the two legs we had the opportunity to qualify. Valencia mainly sat back in defence and only pushed in the final stages when we left some more space at the back.
“They had eight men behind the ball and it was crucial to score to change the balance of the tie. We went so close with Julio Cruz, but we’re disappointed to go out.”
There were also penalty appeals for an Albiol handling offence to block Hernan Crespo’s effort in front of the line.
“It counts for nothing now. The ball certainly makes contact with his arm, but the images weren’t overly clear. The referee did well overall,” assured Mancini.
The tactician maintains there hasn’t been a general slump in form from the Nerazzurri, but that missing key figures was the real issue.
“Physically we’re fine. I think we were unlucky to lose important players, as losing Vieira for the Champions League knockouts was a massive blow. I am sorry we went out, but these things can happen in football and the lads should feel proud of how they played.”
