Manchester City vs. Manchester United: Scoring the Coaching Duel

The FA Cup third round weekend is a huge bookmark in the calendar for most football fans.

The possibility of a 'cupset' is too good to resist. This year, we were treated to an extra Manchester derby, too.

With both sides fighting it out for the Premier League title this season, the duel between them has become even more intense.

With Sir Alex Ferguson pledging his services in management for another several years recently, this duel between managers is set to become a familiarity.

With that in mind, which tactician came out on top on Sunday?

Pre-Match Confidence

One could easily guess who's going into this game with an heir of confidence—and who isn't.

Both teams were involved in a 3-0 scoreline recently but it was Manchester City who stole the headlines in a positive fashion. A 3-0 demolition of Liverpool was an impressive feat.

On the other hand, Manchester United were taken apart by Newcastle on January 4, sparking more question marks over Sir Alex Ferguson's team.

But does previous form matter when it comes the local derby and the FA Cup?

Manchester City's Starting Lineups

The pre-match confidence shines through in Manchester City's starting line-up as Roberto Mancini picks an arguably weakened first 11.

The inclusion of Costel Pantilimon was a shock, considering the magnitude of the game and the consistent excellence in Joe Hart's performances. Manchester City may have conceded three goals, but none were the Romanian giant's fault.

He did well to save Rooney's penalty, and the first two were simply stunning.

There is a massive question mark in my mind over Aleksander Kolarov's ability to play in big games. His recovery pace is lacking and the last thing you want to do is let Nani or Antonio Valencia get to the byline and cross it—which is exactly what happened when Manchester United opened the scoring.

He gave away a penalty and should have given away another. He may have scored a beauty of a free-kick, but his primary responsibility is defending.

Manchester United's Starting Lineup

Manchester United's central midfield has certainly looked stronger, but Sir Alex Ferguson made the right choices, considering his personnel available.

In the Manchester derby, you need hard workers. That much is echoed by Roberto Mancini's selection of the two work horses James Milner and Nigel de Jong.

Anderson was never going to give Ferguson 90 minutes, but Michael Carrick always will.

The scary thing for Manchester United fans is that their defence looks rocky. With Nemanja Vidic out injured, The Red Devils face some issues. Rio Ferdinand is past it as far as most are concerned and Phil Jones, as promising a talent as he is, can seem a little unrefined at times.

The Halftime Picture

At halftime, it all looked very bleak for Manchester City.

3-0 down, one man down and bereft of confidence and flow, Manchester United were running riot and looked good value for their big lead. At this point, almost every neutral spectator sat disappointed with a what seemed to be a massive anti-climax.

How wrong we all were.

Roberto Mancini made a very astute tactical change at halftime which had everyone's eyebrows raised at one point, but by the end even Gareth Southgate was singing his praises.

In stark contrast, Sir Alex Ferguson did nothing to change his team around, most likely encouraging his players to resume normal service from the next whistle.

Manchester City's New Look

Taking off David Silva and replacing him with Pablo Zabaleta is probably the last thing Manchester City fans returning from a halftime pie wanted to hear.

But Roberto Mancini was tactically spot-on. Aleksander Kolarov and Pablo Zabaleta played as adventurous, hard-working wing-backs, allowing defensive solidarity combined with the attacking width needed to cause Manchester United problems.

Manchester City played carefully and methodically, picking their chances. They were very, very close to securing a replay.

Manchester United Stay the Same

At halftime, Sir Alex Ferguson made no major changes to the Red Devils' game plan, and at 3-0 up against 10 men, why would you?

Manchester City came out in a resurgent fashion, but nothing was done to put that to a halt. Manchester United knew they needed to keep possession and tire their opponents out, but the passing was slap-dash and careless at times.

At 3-0 against 10 men, for your opponent to come back into the game means you let them back in the game. Manchester United's midfield looked weak before the game, even dragging Paul Scholes out of retirement to fill the bench.

Scholes was sloppy, Carrick uninspiring. Rio Ferdinand was dodgy, and Phil Jones made a fair few mistakes in possession.

Subbing yellow carded players wasn't enough of a change for Manchester United. They won the game, but the post-match interview with Fergie said it all. He wasn't happy.

Managerial High Ground

Despite losing 3-2 to their arch rivals and being knocked out of the FA Cup at the earliest possible stage, Manchester City and Roberto Mancini will be quietly satisfied with their committed performance on Sunday.

The battle of the dugouts is always an interesting one. Mancini takes the plaudits for making bold, character-defining moves from the touchline that had a dramatic impact on the game.

How many of you would take David Silva off at halftime when 3-0 down?

It was an impressive tactical showing from the Italian mastermind and he used his substitutes very well.

Sir Alex Ferguson seemed the polar opposite; unwilling to make drastic changes and simply happy to replace players for freshness of legs. Taking Danny Welbeck off did spark a change in formation, but nothing too major. 

Roberto Mancini is fast becoming a revered and respected manager in all corners of the world. Today, he takes the spoils.