On this weekend 12 months ago, Manchester City were the subject of this column.

They had endured a shaky start to the campaign and, though they had just beaten Newcastle in the Capital One Cup, I asked whether City supporters, if they were given the option, would take Roberto Mancini back over Manuel Pellegrini.

Pellegrini, of course, went on to enjoy a dream first season in English football, leading City to the Barclays Premier League title, as well as the League Cup. He also took the club into the Champions League knockout stages for the first time.

This time last year Manchester City were celebrating beating Newcastle in the Capital One Cup fourth round

Twelve months on, Manuel Pellegrini's side crashed out to the Magpies in the same competition

But here we are again on the first weekend of November, after another League Cup tie against Newcastle, and another question needs asking: what is different about Pellegrini’s City and the one of his predecessor?

The players who helped Mancini capture the title in 2012 are the ones who Pellegrini relied on and they even became champions in similarly dramatic circumstances, capitalising when the team that seemed destined for first place capsized on the run-in.

Some would argue Pellegrini’s team are more expansive but how important was that?

City’s goal difference in 2012 was +64, when they finished with 89 points. Last year it was +65 but their tally had dropped to 86 points. When you consider that, ‘not much’ would be your answer.

This is not an attack on City’s quality, by any means. When everything clicks, they are a fantastic side with some wonderful players and the patchy start they have endured to this campaign should not detract from what Pellegrini has achieved over the past 12 months.

City, though, look like a team which must be changed and refreshed if it is going to carry on moving forward. Whether they successfully defend the title or fail to contain Chelsea, Pellegrini’s squad needs to be broken up.

Has much changed at Manchester City since Manuel Pellegrini (left) took over from Roberto Mancini (right)?

With an average age of 28.5, City’s first-choice team — Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Kolarov; Nasri, Toure, Fernandinho, Silva; Dzeko, Aguero — is the oldest in the Premier League. It is also older than the first-choices of Real Madrid (26.2) and Bayern Munich (27).

Those two clubs are the ones City want to eventually rival but the thing that should provide most concern for Pellegrini is the fact that for all the money that has been invested, there is no exciting youngster ready to explode on to the scene like Adnan Januzaj or Raheem Sterling.

A lot has been made about the huge investment that has gone into revamping the club’s academy but it is going to take time for the results of the work that goes on there to be seen, and the immediate concern is how much it will cost to keep them towards the head of the pack.

It was clear they had a policy in the summer and were certain about who they wanted to bring in — Eliaquim Mangala, for instance, came into a position they needed to fill. They also made sure they tied down a number of their key performers to long contracts.

But it is looking like a mistake not to bring in a replacement after Alvaro Negredo was allowed to join Valencia, as with the system that Pellegrini plays, he needs four strikers at his disposal.

Martin Demichelis (centre) and Pablo Zabaleta (right) are in an ageing squad at 33 and 29 respectively

Yaya Toure (centre) is also on the wrong side of 30 and has had a disappointing season so far

City do not have a promising first-team youngster like Raheem Sterling (left) or Adnan Januzaj

City need to make big changes to their squad, even if they retain their Premier League title

He likes using two up front and he could have done with another body to ease the pressure on Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Stevan Jovetic. Could they have done more to take Radamel Falcao on loan?

Expectation now follows City, so when they have a run of three games without a win, as is the case now, they are scrutinised and sections of their supporters, who have got used to success, have been unnerved by the start to the campaign Pellegrini has overseen.

For Pellegrini, a man who does not make bold statements, to say after the 2-0 defeat by Newcastle in midweek that ‘we are not the team we used to be’ shows how difficult things have been.

Why did he name such a strong side in that match? Was it a sign that he feels the league title and Champions League are out of reach?

The defeat was bad enough, the injuries to David Silva and Yaya Toure were even worse. Now they are facing two matches they simply cannot lose.

David Silva will be a major loss for City as they host Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday

First comes the Manchester derby — a fixture that has been good for City in recent years, as five wins in the past six league meetings with United shows — then a fight for survival in the Champions League against CSKA Moscow. Europe is where City want to be making an impact.

Chief executive Ferran Soriano and director of football Txiki Begiristain, who arrived from Barcelona to run the club, won’t accept failure readily and Pellegrini will face serious questions if he fails to get his team out of the group.

Soriano and Begiristain stood by Pep Guardiola when they were at Barcelona but that was because he was unbelievably successful and they won’t shy away from making changes if they feel that is what is required to keep building.

We should not forget that after a World Cup, it is notoriously difficult for teams to find their rhythm early on.

Only Chelsea have come flying out of the blocks, building up a six-point advantage over City during a period in which they have faced matches at Old Trafford and the Etihad Stadium.

Should the gap reach nine points this weekend, City will not pull that back. Whether they win or not, the squad needs some big changes in the summer.

Chelsea have established themselves as the team to beat in the Premier League this season

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Strikers grapple too!

It has been interesting to read all the views on shirt-pulling this week after Sportsmail began its campaign for a clampdown.

I’m relieved, though, that the campaign has started now, rather than when I was playing, as I dare say I would have featured in some of the images that have been used on these pages!

It is difficult to mark at a corner when you are trying to keep your eye on both the ball and your man, so you invariably want to feel where your opponent is — and stop him getting away from you — while you follow the flight of the ball.

From a defender’s point of view, I will say this: if you can stop your opponent and not get penalised by the referee, you are going to do it to gain an advantage.

The issue, however, has become rife, so it is right that we try to stop it.

But if the campaign is successful, I think you will find defenders wanting a new one to be launched to stop them being blocked by forwards!

Ryan Shawcross highlighted the problem of grappling in the box during Stoke's defeat to Southampton

This week I'm looking forward to... Watching Newcastle's young stars progress

Given the passion for football in the area, it has been a mystery to me that Newcastle’s teams have gone without home-grown talent for so long.

We might have had a glimpse of the future, though, at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night when a youthful and inexperienced team knocked the holders out of the Capital One Cup.

It would be naive to think those who helped defeat Manchester City — such as 17-year-old Adam Armstrong and 18-year-old Rolando Aarons — will all become fixtures in the team in the coming weeks on the back of one excellent result. But they have given themselves a great chance of having a long-term future at the club and I’m sure Alan Pardew will look to reward them with more opportunities going forward.

Newcastle’s fans are desperate for a local hero to emerge. It is about time that they had one.

Rolando Aarons announced his arrival with the opening goal for Newcastle against City in midweek