Mancini was speaking ahead of tomorrow night's Europa League round 16 playoff second-leg at Porto.
With the score locked at 1-1, Mancini says the tie is finely balanced.
He said, "I'm used to playing as a centre-back and centre-right, but something definitely changes. On the right I can be more aggressive, make some crosses, push forward, while as a centre-back I have to read the movements of the attacker, stay more in position and I also have to be more careful because a mistake could open the door for the centre-forward."
On Ranieri, Mancini also stated: "Before the coach arrived, the two weeks before the results were not showing and when it's like that for us players it's difficult. We gave our all on the pitch, the environment was what it was and I took this sadness, this melancholy, this stomachache to Trigoria and into my private life.
"When the coach arrived I relaxed, my body did it on its own. He has this thing of talking, explaining with all his calm, even if when he gets angry, he gets angry (laughs). That thing was needed to bring serenity to a group that is strong and really needed it."