Roberto Mancini on Monday claimed that he is the best coach in England amid suggestions that he will be fired if Manchester City fails to win a trophy this season. With the defending Premier League champion now 12 points behind leader Manchester United, and with the UEFA Champions League a distant memory after crashing out of the competition in December, it would seem that the only trophy City has a realistic chance of winning this season is the FA Cup.

Nevertheless, Mancini vehemently defended his record. “In the last 15 months I am the best manager in England,” the Italian said when asked if he felt his job was secure. ”I won one Premier League, one FA Cup, one Charity Shield. There is not another manager who’s won like me in the last 15 months. I can do nothing, but it is the reality.”

Last week, soccer pundit Danny Mills said the Italian would lose his job if his team crashed out of the FA Cup against Mills’ former club, Leeds United. City won comfortably, 4-0, and then received a seemingly favorable quarterfinal draw against Barnsley of the npower Championship, but speculation is still swirling over the former Inter manager’s future.

City defender Kolo Toure also underlined how important the next three months will be in determining Mancini’s fate. Asked if the team had to win a trophy to secure his future, the Ivorian said: ‘Yes, of course. It’s very important for us to win because that will help the manager to be here for sure. For a team like City it’s difficult to go a season without winning one trophy, and for us the FA Cup is really important and the League as well.”