There has been plenty evidence of both in new manager Roberto Mancini’s opening three encounters that have produced a trio of wins without conceding a goal.
More of the same against United on Wednesday would have City on the brink of a Wembley cup final but De Jong knows it will be a tough task.
“It really doesn’t matter who plays for United, we know that they have a lot of quality,” declared the in-form Holland midfielder.
“They have a lot of quality but in the end we cannot worry about them or what they are doing. We must concentrate on stopping them from scoring and making sure that we perform to our best. If we do that then we have already shown we are a match for anyone.
Most of us have experience of playing in two-legged ties so we know that nothing will be decided after one game. There has to be a degree of patience. We know what is at stake and we are hungry for success
...Nigel de Jong
So too is Mancini and De Jong is certain that the boss will not be fazed by the intensity of such a high stake semi-final meeting.
“Mancini knows all about Milan derbies, they are crazy too so this will not bother him. We know that he is excited about the possibilities for us which gives us confidence,” he said.
“We showed at Old Trafford that that we can stand toe to toe with United. We want to win this tie for our fans. We just hope that some of our injured players are back.”
De Jong has been a monster for us this season... awesome player!!
...MadchesterCity on Bluemoon...
