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If the tabloids are to be believed, and God help us if they are (Arsène Wenger doing what? I don't believe it), there is mutiny in the air at Manchester City. Roberto Mancini, not 11 months into the job, is a week away from getting the sack if results at Eastlands don't change as dramatically as Wayne Rooney's opinion of Manchester United's "ambition".

In many ways Mancini has created a rod for his own back. There is nothing wrong with casting yourself as a no-nonsense, single-minded authority figure. In the cut-throat world of top-flight football you are only as good as your next game and it is the manager alone who takes the rap for results. Indeed, in the era of the celebrity footballer it is quite refreshing to see managers putting pampered players in their place by dropping them or offloading them to Cardiff rather than pandering to their every spoiled whim.

The trouble is, the hard-line approach only works as long as battles are being won; but as soon as the going gets tough, so does managing the dressing room. In truth it is a difficult balance to strike, and it is why the very best coaches are rewarded so handsomely. A good coach needs to be tactically on the money, capable of instilling fear and respect into his charges, but also capable of making his players feel loved.

Jose Mourinho is the classic example. He is a man who could freeze players out for having the temerity to get injured, but could bring the best out of his "untouchables" by convincing them that they were the best in the world. In the early days of Mourinho's tenure at Stamford Bridge, Frank Lampard was once stopped in his tracks by The Special One while emerging from the shower. Mou spent 15 minutes standing in front of the bemused England international lavishing praise on him and telling him why he was by far the best midfielder in the world. By the end of it, Lampard was embarrassed but walked away from the experience feeling 10 foot tall.

It is also key for a coach to understand the dynamics of the dressing room. Mourinho, for example, identified early on that Marco Materazzi was an influential member of the Inter squad when he arrived in Milan, and though the veteran defender ended up on the bench more often (36 times) than he played (35) in his two seasons under the Portuguese, Matrix's love and loyalty for Mourinho was unstinting. He became Mou's enforcer, even allegedly once beating up Mario Balotelli for throwing his shirt on the ground and storming down the tunnel after being substituted.

We are not all privy to the workings of Mancini's inner sanctum but from the outside it appears that he pays no such heed to player psychology. Or if he does, he has got it all wrong. While showing Craig Bellamy the door was a show of force, his preferential treatment of Carlos Tevez, whom he made captain despite the forward's inability to speak English and whom he allowed an extended stay in Argentina amid rumours of homesickness - will only put team-mates' noses out of joint. Should there be one rule for Tevez and one for everyone else?

The fact that some of the players, like Yaya Toure, are on higher wages than even City's astronomical norm has only fuelled jealousy among mercenaries who have tired of Mancini's rigorous training methods (apparently, he sometimes makes them train fully twice a day, the nasty man). Suddenly, the great strength in depth that appeared to be such an advantage could prove to be Mancini's undoing. He has created a monster.

And it is a monster that has lost the last four matches in a row. At this stage of the season City have two points fewer than Mark Hughes' City - who were unbeaten when he was sacked - had managed at the same stage last season, which is why it seems unlikely that the Italian will be given the time he requires (two years at least) to make a tilt at the title.

City are still fourth in the table, have beaten Chelsea this term and have the capability to turn things around this season, if only because Manchester United are so poor, Arsenal so inconsistent and Chelsea have been the beneficiaries of a benign early season fixture list.

Every side has a bad patch in the season and if City achieve a derby win against United 2.9 in midweek, then the 24.0 at which they are currently priced to win the title and the 6.4 you can back them to finish in the top two will narrow considerably.

Should they lose 2.7 or draw 3.4 to United then Mancini really will be walking the plank. Luckily, there is little chance of Mourinho going to Middle Eastlands just yet, as he is already highly remunerated and enjoying one of the most prestigious jobs in football at Real Madrid. Perhaps his head might be turned at the end of the season, after he has guided Los Merengues to the Champions League 5.1 and La Liga 1.96 but I'd be prepared to wager he'll tell City that there are some things that money can't buy.


By Richard Aikman

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