While a warchest to rival a small nation might bring the best players, it also brings the most intense of expectations. It seems as though the pressure of these expectations might be getting to Roberto Mancini.

The Italian manager was faced with the challenge of building on last season’s Premier League win with a good performance in the Champions League and there is speculation that his employers are lining up Pep Guardiola as a replacement.

City have started the Champions League poorly, and the Citizens are on just one point from a potential nine. They know that even three victories from the final three games might not be enough to see them through what is a tough group but one they had been expected to escape from.

Mancini has recently said City were not good enough to win the Champions League and has also admitted he had held talks with Monaco about joining the French club last summer. It was when questioned about his talks with Monaco that Mancini lost his composure and became irritated and argumentative with the reporter raising the issue.

City face Dutch champions Ajax tonight at the Eithad, knowing three points is essential if they are to hang on to their slim hopes of progress to the knockout stages. It may, however, not be enough to save Roberto Mancini’s job.