Roberto Mancini celebrated a Champions League berth for Manchester City on Tuesday but warned Carlos Tevez not to expect an FA Cup final start.
City secured a place in Europe's elite competition thanks to a first-half own goal by Peter Crouch against Tottenham at Eastlands.
But the manner of the victory was so tense, Mancini felt he could not bring Tevez on until the final stages, meaning he will go to Wembley badly lacking in match practice after a month on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.
And, although Mancini will give Tevez every chance to prove his fitness, the City boss knows his skipper cannot be 100%.
"We have four days," said Mancini.
"I want to take all the time to decide this.
"I don't think he can be 100% ready because he only played for 15 minutes and has only had one week with the team.
"But we have four days, then we need to decide."
Tevez did not seem to be too impressed at his treatment, although given Mancini has already raised the spectre of a possible departure to Italy in a separate interview, the issue is maybe not as important as securing the top-four berth laid down by chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak as the minimum target for the season.
"When you have a target and get it, it is very important for your job," he smiled.
"But I am happy for the supporters and the club first of all."
Mancini would be even happier if City could scramble their way above Arsenal into the third automatic qualification spot.
As it presently stands, the Blues would enter a two-legged qualifying round in August for which, in all probability, they will not be seeded.
"If we didn't throw three points out of the window against Everton on Saturday, we could probably finish third," he said.
"I don't know how we lost this game. Now it is difficult.
"We have two games left. But now it is very important to think about the FA Cup final."
Mancini has minimal time to prepare for that meeting with Stoke, when City will look to end a 35-year trophy drought.
However, they did do Stoke a favour this evening as their own Champions League status ensured Tony Pulis' men will definitely be in the Europa League next season whether they win or lose at the weekend.
"We deserve to be in the Champions League because we were between first and fourth position all season," said Mancini.
For Spurs boss Harry Redknapp it was a disappointing way to end a campaign which has included so many highs but has drifted away alarmingly in the last few weeks.
"The biggest problems in this run where we have fallen out of the top four are that we lost Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart has suddenly become a bit jaded due to the World Cup and not having a pre-season," he said.
"When they were in top form, we were killing teams off as well as playing good football.
"Not too many teams play better than we do. That means a lot to me.
"I enjoy watching us play. I would rather that than us play awful football and keep lumping the ball.
"I want to enjoy the last few years I have got in football."
Luka Modric wasted a glorious chance before Crouch's own goal, which was into the same net he scored the winner in last term to secure Tottenham's Champions League place, and Joe Hart produced a superb save to deny Steven Pienaar immediately after the interval.
And, now they have claimed a Champions League spot, Redknapp feels City will invest even more, although he is unconvinced they are any better than his own side at present.
"It seems to me they can go as far as they want to go," he said.
"The sky is the limit.
"They have an owner who can spend anything he wants and they could go out and buy another four or five world class players in the summer and try to win the Champions League.
"It won't be beyond them.
"They have good players already but I wouldn't say they were any better than us to be truthful.
"If Bale hadn't got injured, it would have been very close."
