City assistant manager Kidd was appointed as a member of Eriksson's England coaching team in 2003, only have to stand down when he underwent treatment for prostate cancer the following year. Eriksson only lasted until after the following World Cup, since when he has embarked on a nomadic existence, taking charge of both the Mexico and Ivory Coast national teams, in addition to Notts County following a stormy season at Manchester City under controversial owner Thaksin Shinawatra. As the Swede has collected a healthy salary on every occasion, it has been suggested Eriksson cares more for his bank balance than he does about football. Eriksson has always denied he is motivated by money and it is a claim Kidd refutes entirely. "Sven is a football man. He loves his football and the players love him," he said. "He has a lot of empathy for his players. He cares about them." In addition, Kidd feels Eriksson's record as a manager means he should be held in the highest esteem. "He has had so much success abroad because he is an excellent manager," he added. "He doesn't complicate things. Everything is simplistic and his record speaks for itself. "I was really honoured to have that time with him." As Eriksson is now tasked with improving Leicester's fortunes, he must find a way past his old club. It does not promise to be an easy task, even though the Blues' latest new-boy, Edin Dzeko, is not eligible, having been completed his £27million move from Wolfsburg after the registration deadline. In addition, City have endured more than their fair share of heartache in the competition, with an unwanted list of defeats to lower league opposition, including a fourth round defeat at Sheffield United that Eriksson presided over. But Mancini seems to have moulded a far more obdurate City side since then. Certainly their performance at Arsenal on Wednesday does not suggest they will be beaten easily by anyone, not even in the kind of tricky circumstances they will encounter on Sunday. Without David Silva, who has collected his third player-of-the-month award in a row, and Mario Balotelli, who remain sidelined with knee injuries, Mancini will be forced to rely heavily on the players who were on duty at the Emirates Stadium. That could mean a recall for Adam Johnson as Jo did not exactly sparkle having been deployed in a much wider position than he would prefer. Mancini needs to get it right. For, with Silva in particular fit, they are a live contender for a competition they have not won since 1969, seven years before their last trophy success, a record the Blues faithful are desperate to see brought to an end. Not that there is much room for complaint given City's strengthening position in terms of Champions League places, and from a group of players Kidd insists still has plenty of improving to do. "We are not the finished article," he said. "As far as everyone at this club is concerned, we are still a work in progress. "Our feet are planted firmly on the ground. There is no doubt about that. "The boss wants everybody to work hard and he will look for improvement." One area where there certainly has been improvement is in defence, where Vincent Kompany has enjoyed a superb season, so much so that Kidd now rates the young Belgian in the same category as Nemanja Vidic, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand. "We have a talented squad and Vincent Kompany in particular has been super," he said. "I am not being biased when I say he has been the best centre-half in the league. There is no doubt about it in my opinion. "When he first came to the club his preferred position was central midfield player. "But now he has gone back into central defence, he has been fantastic. "He has all the attributes you need to excel in this position."
