Manchester City: 10 Managers Who Could Succeed Mancini

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With Manchester City enjoying their most successful season in the Premier League era and sitting pretty in first place, the pressure on Mancini is relatively low.

They have stumbled recently though, with poor results and lackluster performances throughout January. If they fail to grab their first league title in May, the Italian's future could be in doubt.

With this in mind, here's a list of 10 managers that could potentially succeed Mancini if he should be sent packing in the summer.

Jürgen Klopp

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The enigmatic and explosive German has worked wonders in his three seasons with Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund.

After enjoying 18 years with provincial club Mainz 05 - 11 as a player and seven as manager—Klopp moved to Dortmund in 2008 and made an instant impact, winning the German Super Cup within months of arriving.

Last season Klopp brought the Bundesliga trophy back to the Signul Iduna Park for the first time since 2001, and is one of the hottest properties in the European management industry.

Hotly tipped to succeed Joachim Low in the role of German national boss, a switch to free-spending City would definitely be tempting for the 44-year-old.

José Mourinho

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"The Special One" has said repeatedly that he wants to try his hand at Premier League management again, and City could be the club that meets his demands.

His current employers, Real Madrid, will be keen to hang onto the charismatic manager especially if he can win his first La Liga title this season, a trophy that has eluded him thus far.

With his free-spending nature, he will be looking for club with unlimited resources and City can certainly offer him that, as well as a good setup and established development plan.

It has been suggested that Mourinho would only move if it were for the head job at Manchester United should Sir Alex Ferguson retire, but if City makes a move his decision may be made for him.

Joachim Löw

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The German national team boss' contract runs up in the summer after the European Championships, and it looks unlikely that it will be renewed.

Since taking the helm in 2006, the 52-year-old has a 69 percent win record with the Nationalmannschaft, and guided them to a Euro 2008 runner-up place and third place at the 2010 World Cup.

In many people's opinions, the Germans go into this year's championships as favourites and if Löw is unemployed after the tournament, the vultures could start circling.

Arsène Wenger

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The Frenchman has been in the Arsenal hot seat for 15 years, and this year has perhaps been his most troublesome.

A faltering start to the season led many to question his future with the club, and no wins in January did nothing to solidify his position.

A 7-1 victory at home to Blackburn may have appeased the fans momentarily, but questions will be asked should Arsenal fail to qualify for the Champions League, a feat they have achieved for 15 seasons on the trot.

Wenger's future is in his own hands. The board won't fire him due to his commitment to the club, but he could come to the conclusion that he has taken his side as far as he can and look for new pastures.

Josep Guardiola

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Guardiola is heralded as the man behind the best football club-side in history.

His guidance since taking the helm at Barcelona in 2008 has led to three consecutive La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies.

However, with Real Madrid ravaging the competition in this year's La Liga, and Barca stumbling, Guardiola could be tempted to leave in the summer.

Rumors abounded after the 2011 Champions League final that it was to be Pep's last game, but he agreed to stay on for the time being.

City could be appealing for the Spaniard, and the bosses at The Etihad would definitely be enticed to fork out some cash to get their man.

Guus Hiddink

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Many Premier League fans will know him from his stint as Chelsea caretaker boss in 2009, when he replaced Luiz Felipe Scolari for the second half of the season.

Hiddink has enjoyed a successful managerial career which has seen him take charge of 13 sides, including five national teams. He is widely considered to be one of the best bosses of his generation.

Earlier in the season, he was linked with the Chelsea job again as Villas Boas position was unsteady following a string of bad results. Yet, with AVB's position seemingly safe for the long term, Hiddink could be in the thoughts of City bosses come summer.

Louis Van Gaal

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LVG is currently unemployed following his sacking last year while at Bayern Munich.

The Dutchman has had two spells in charge of Barcelona, as well as managerial stints with AZ, Ajax and the Dutch national side. A move to the Premier League could be an attractive proposition.

Manchester City are certainly a club with the resources to attract Van Gaal, and his footballing philosophy would appeal greatly to the City board.

Marcelo Bielsa

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The Argentinian led his country to an Olympic gold medal and a runner-up place in the 2004 Copa America, and now plies his trade with Athletic Bilbao.

With Bilbao flying high in La Liga while playing good football, due in no small part to the form of striker Fernando Llorente, Bilbao sit in sixth place and look likely to push on as the season winds up.

Bielsa is regarded as one of the most innovative coaches of his era, and is considered a master tactician. He would certainly appeal to the City fans and owners.

Jupp Heynckes

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The German, who made 39 appearances for West Germany and won a World Cup and a European Championship in the process, is the current boss of Bayern Munich.

"Osram" (a German term used to reference his red face), is somewhat of a journeyman in the management game, taking the helm of 13 clubs in his 33 years as a manager.

Bayern is in the race for the Bundesliga title, along with Dortmund, Shalke and Mochengladbach. If Henyckes fails to win the championship, the Munich giants could decide a change of manager is needed.

A wealth of tactical knowledge and experience would make him a safe choice for City, should the bosses decide to go for the German.

Frank Rijkaard

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One of the most celebrated players in Dutch history, Rijkaard racked up five Eredivise titles, two Serie As, two European Cups, a Champions League and a European Championships gold medal.

As a coach he has been somewhat quiet since guiding Barcelona to back-to-back La Ligas and a Champions League win in the mid-90's, suffering an unsuccessful spell at Galatasaray in Turkey and now coaching the Saudi Arabian national team.

A move to the premiership would definitely be appealing to Rijkaard, and with his attacking, team-orientated philosophy he would be a popular choice with the fans.