At times, it sounded like he was pleading with the rest of the country to shrug of ambivalence towards the competition and recognise a possible City win in terms of its historic value.
Roberto Mancini, the Manchester City manager, offered a robust defence of the enduring lustre of the FA Cup as he tries to save his club's season and claim his third major trophy in three years.
After a week in which managerial changes have reduced the Cup final to an afterthought, there is a serious danger of a crucial football match breaking out at Wembley today.
Once the showpiece occasion of the football calendar, the sparse audience at Mancini's pre-match press conference underlined how the -timing of Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement dented the FA Cup's craving for maximum attention. Mancini needs victory against Wigan Athletic to ensure Ferguson is Manchester's sole managerial departure this summer.
At times, it sounded like he was pleading with the rest of the country to shrug of ambivalence towards the competition and recognise a possible City win in terms of its historic value.
"This Cup is important for every club, the second most important trophy in England," Mancini said. "When you talk about Sir Alex, and everything he won, he won five FA Cups. For him it is important, so for every club it is important.
"When you play a final at Wembley it is different than other games. It is important moment for us, for the silverware, for the club. When you start the season you want to win the best trophies or the most trophies but sometimes it is not possible. I think we did a good season but not like last season."
Even on the verge of consecutive honours, Mancini does not sound entirely secure. Asked if he thought winning the FA Cup would allow him to oversee an era of dominance in Ferguson's absence, he replied: "I don't know. I won seven trophies at Inter Milan in four years and they sacked me. This is football. I know football enough to understand this situation. I want to continue to win every year. This is my target. It is important for every club to have a manager who can take a lot of decisions about the team, but now it is important we win this trophy."
Mancini believes his opponent, Roberto Martinez, is destined for a move to a bigger club regardless of Wigan's relegation concerns, and he is wary of being perceived as such strong favourites this afternoon. "Every game we've play against Wigan we've had a problem" said Mancini, who says he will make a late call on whether to pick goalkeeper Joe Hart.
Mancini paid his own tribute to Ferguson, revealing he sent a private letter of congratulations to his rival. "It has been a great honour and pleasure to compete against Sir Alex for three years. For one manager to stay for 27 years in the same club and win every trophy is incredible. I don't think there will be another manager like him."
The City manager is wary of facing David Moyes, however, having a poor record against the new United manager. "Our problem has been against Everton. He is a good manager."
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