Mancini: Team lacked spirit

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini feels his team still have much to learn at Champions League level after admitting their latest performance lacked spirit.

The Barclays Premier League champions now face a huge task to reach the knockout stages for the first time after slumping to a disappointing 3-1 loss to Ajax in Amsterdam. The result leaves them bottom of Group D with just one point halfway through the programme.

With a testing visit from Real Madrid and a tricky trip to Borussia Dortmund to come - as well as an Ajax rematch in a fortnight - City's challenge could end in frustration for a second successive year. The Italian said: "If you have spirit you have quality to play Champions League. If not, you can't. This is the problem."

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