Roberto Mancini puts his faith in failing Edin Dzeko

Posted Monday, April 25, 2011 by Express.co.uk

ROBERTO MANCINI has told struggling Edin Dzeko to take encouragement from the way Wayne Rooney and Fernando Torres have come through their scoring droughts.

Dzeko arrived at Manchester City in a £27million deal in January with a goal every-two-games record at German club Wolfsburg but has yet to break his duck in the Premier League. His four goals so far for City have come against League One Notts County in the FA Cup and Greek club Aris Thessaloniki in the Europa League. With leading scorer Carlos Tevez out with a hamstring injury, City need Dzeko to find his scoring touch to help them clinch a top-four place and qualification for next season’s Champions League.

But as they prepared for tonight’s clash at Blackburn, manager Mancini refused to pile any pressure on Dzeko, insisting he is looking for the Bosnian to come good next season. “I believe that Dzeko is one of the top strikers in Europe,” said Mancini. “Sometimes for a striker incredible things happen. When you can’t score you don’t know why, but this is the same for all strikers. “Remember Rooney went four or five months without a goal from open play for United and Torres went a long time before his first goal for Chelsea. This is football. It is an incredible situation for a striker but it happens a lot.

“It is difficult for Edin but the team must come before any player’s problems. “It is difficult for me also but I understand what is going through a striker’s mind at these moments. It is just important he keeps working hard and I’m sure next season he will prove a fantastic striker for City. “But we have six league games left and the FA Cup final and I hope he can score an important goal when he plays.” Boss Mancini has demanded greater focus from his team who have not won away in the league since Boxing Day.

“We can’t think of the FA Cup fi nal at this moment,” said Mancini. “We have four League games before Wembley and it is important we stay focused in all of them to make sure we finish fourth. “But we must have the same approach against Blackburn and then West Ham next Sunday, teams who are fighting relegation. If you don’t play 100 per cent in the Premier League it is impossible to win. It is a long time since we won away and it is about time we started again.

“Fourth place is in our own hands. We have three games at home, three away and we don’t have to depend on what other teams do. If we have the right focus we will do it.” Apart from Tevez, Micah Richards and Jerome Boateng are still out injured. Blackburn manager Steve Kean knows that his club’s summer spending could be hit by their slump in form. Rovers have slid down the table after three winless months and Kean said: “ The higher you finish the easier it is to attract bigger and better players in the summer.

“If we’re in a lower position than we were last year, then that’s going to affect it.” Rovers will be without their on-loan striker Roque Santa Cruz, who is ineligible.