Football League Cup 2014 Final: Why Manchester City Will Dominate Sunderland

If Manchester City are to overcome their demons of last year's 1-0 defeat by Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup, they are going to have to show Sunderland plenty of respect and call on Manuel Pellegrini's managerial experience.

The Citizens' Wembley defeat last year pinpointed the side's lack of character and motivation with then-boss Roberto Mancini at the helm, with several big-money signings failing to show their potential in London.

Jon Super/Associated Press

However, City look brighter under Manuel Pellegrini and it's his career cup success that could see them nudge to victory against Gus Poyet's Black Cats.

The Sky Blues boss has won four cup competitions in his career, including the UEFA Intertoto Cup with Villarreal in 2004.

Experienced in setting his sides up for knockout matches, the former Chilean international must use his expertise to guide his side to victory in his first major cup final in Europe.

After Mancini's dismissal last summer, many City fans were unhappy with the treatment of their Italian hero, who guided the club to Premier League, FA Cup and Community Shield success in his four-year England stay.

That sort of pedigree would heap pressure on any incoming manager, which saw chants of "You can stick your Pellegrini up your a--e!" aimed at the Chilean on his arrival.

But in discussion with Telegraph Northern Football Correspondent Mark Ogden, Pellegrini noted that he feels fans have learned to love his style:

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Well, I hope at least the songs have changed. I know what happened last year, but I think Mancini deserved the support of the fans because he won the title here for the first time in 44 years.

Everyone knows how passionate the Manchester City fans are, but also I felt that, from the moment I arrived, they accepted what the club did.

I think they are now very happy with the team this year, the way we play and to be again in another final.

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The City boss was linked with a holistic change in the running of the club when joining last summer, and he stated that his flamboyant style of football has won fans' hearts:

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I suppose that [style of play] is an important reason. For any supporter of any club, they want to go to the stadium and see their team scoring goals. This season has maybe been special in that sense, because in a lot of competitions we have been scoring a lot of goals, and I think the way that we play is also very important.

Everything is different now. I don’t want to say which things are different, because that’s not my duty, but I am absolutely sure the players are just thinking about the final against Sunderland and not what happened in the past.

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It's imperative that memories of the club's last visit to the national stadium are wiped clean ahead of kick-off, to allow no lingering ill-feeling between the club's players and their expectations building up to the match.

Several new stars, including Fernandinho and Alvaro Negredo, are in the hunt for their first major trophy since joining the club. It's players with this motivation that could help push City across the line at the full-time whistle.

The re-introduction of Sergio Aguero after his return from a month-long injury lay-off could also prove significant for City, as the club's leading goalscorer, per WhoScored.com, looks to build on his 26-goal haul in 25 appearances this season.

Eager to get back into the action, Aguero tweeted:

The striker has also been more potent under Pellegrini's style of play. He only scored 17 goals in 40 appearances for the club last season.

Yaya Toure's form has also seen a marked improvement this season, scoring 16 times and sitting just two goals away from doubling last year's goal tally.

Sunderland, who have been under the stewardship of Gus Poyet since October, have seen an improvement of their own in the style of play employed by the Uruguayan.

Since his arrival, the Black Cats have recorded 12 wins in 26 matches, and they have climbed off the foot of the table and earned a real chance at Premier League survival.

Scott Heppell/Associated Press

His side also remain in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, along with Manchester City, but the multi-millions spent by the Citizens since Pellegrini's arrival could end the Black Cats' hopes of any silverware this season, leaving the club to focus on maintaining another year in England's top flight.

It is important, too, that Pellegrini picks up his first major trophy in Europe against Sunderland, should the club look to continue to grow in his image and build for a long-term future of success.

With the club still challenging in four competitions this season (Premier League, Capital One Cup, FA Cup and Champions League), the Chilean's influence against the Black Cats is at crunch point. A win could prove the catalyst for City to record a four-trophy haul in his maiden season as manager.

Longevity is the key ahead of the clash at Wembley. After waiting 44 years for a Premier League title, it looks like Citizens fans can expect a lot more silverware in the coming years.