Manchester City's Bulgarian winger Martin Petrov has labelled the decision to sack manager Sven-Goran Eriksson after just one year in charge of the Eastlands club a "big mistake" and blamed fatigue and the lack of depth in the first team for the club's disastrous second half of the season.
Eriksson was hired by Thaksin Shinawatra last summer, after the former Thai prime minister completed his take-over of the club, and was given an ambitious three-year plan to bring Champions League football to a club that flirted with relegation a season earlier.
The Swede spent heavily on buying new players, including seven million euro to bring Petrov from Atletico Madrid, as well as an estimated 8.5 million euro for his teammate in the Bulgarian national squad, Valeri Bojinov.
Despite a strong start to the season, which saw the club in fourth, the final Champions League-qualifying spot, at the start of January, performances dropped in the new year and the club finished ninth in the final table, meeting Shinawatra's pre-season demand for a top-half finish, but even a league double over city rivals and future champions Manchester United was deemed to be not enough.
"I think that releasing him [Eriksson] is a big mistake. He did the unexpected, starting the season with practically a new team and a new owner," Petrov told Bulgarian weeklyKapital.
"Most expectations were that we would struggle against relegation from the Premier League. Instead, he ensured that the team was in the running for anUefa Cup spot until the last.
"If he is replaced after this success, it means that the club's ambitions have grown. If this season is seen as a failure and the next one expected to be better, then an even better manager and players have to be brought in," Petrov said.
Investment was key in Shinawatra's quest for a Champions League spot, the Bulgarian winger believes.
"The Big Four is rich, that's why they have so many good players, even in their reserve teams, who are ready to step in to replace first-team regulars. Teams like us, we accumulate fatigue, injuries and suspensions," he said.
"That is what happened with us this season - we were good until January and then came the descent into ninth place. There are a lot of international players in the team and we played additional matches for our countries."
The Bulgarian could get yet see fresh blood injected in the team, with Manchester City pursuing former world footballer of the year Ronaldinho and reportedly offering to make the Brazilian the highest-paid footballer in the world with a weekly wage of 250,000 euro, UK broadsheet The Telegraph reported on June 9.
Ronaldinho's current club Barcelona have reportedly given the Citizens permission to talk to the player and should the Brazilian join the Eastlands club, his preferred starting position on the left side of midfield could keep the Bulgarian out of the first team.
Petrov, who has repeatedly said he was was happy at Manchester City, does not fear for his future at the club or falling out of favour with new manager Mark Hughes, who replaced Eriksson earlier this month.
"My career has been marked by managerial changes. It is not that I change them, but it keeps happening - I had three managers at Atletico and the same at Wolfsburg," he said. "My contract is with the club and I plan to see off the two years left on it."
