Sheikh Mansour went to Spain, in his Lamborghini, and brought City back a manager ... Manuel Pellegrini. That's what the City fans' joyous lyrical tribute to their sanguine manager claims anyway. A slightly bonkers method of selecting a new manager, you might think, but no dafter than the process United used to select the successor to Sir Alex Ferguson! And Pellegrini? A year on from the days of May, 2013, when the Sheikh was presumably speeding through Andalusia, his keffiyeh blowing in the wind, the City boss is just grateful he has a new song. His old one, sung by a few City fans when it became clear Roberto Mancini was for the heave-ho, suggested that the City top brass could shove their new man where the sun doesn't shine. The fact Pellegrini has gone from being the unfortunate recipient of some fans' ire at the dismissal of Mancini to a double-winning manager in his debut season in English football is testimony to his quality.

"I'm so happy for the manager because it's his first title in Europe. He remained calm the whole season. It was a pleasure to work for him."

Samir Nasri on Pellegrini

Mancini's legacy will never be forgotten by those fans. He was the man who boldly vowed to tear down the mocking Stretford End flag indicating the number of years since the Blues last won a trophy, and made good on his promise. He was the man who took his side, which was occasionally breathtaking in its title season, to Old Trafford and smashed the old enemy 6-1. And he was the man who ended the 44-year wait for a league title. But the following season, when the football did not flow so easily as United asserted themselves at the top and the trophies slipped away one by one, the cracks began to show. Mancini was unpopular with sections of the dressing room, and among many of the City staff the distance he kept was viewed as arrogance and disrespect. Such grumbles remain stifled when a team is winning, but when things do not go well the cracks become rifts and the rifts can become chasms. Mancini was the right man at the right time - a fiery, driven individual who somehow channelled the crackling energy of conflict on the training ground and in the dressing room into triumph. The Italian rowed with Carlos Tevez on the sidelines in Munich, he threw luggage at the exasperating Mario Balotelli and his verbal swipes at popular players Joe Hart, Micah Richards and Samir Nasri caused strife in the ranks. When Ferran Soriano became chief executive in September 2012 and brought in Txiki Begiristain as his football director they identified the problems - the football was too flat, and the mood in the camp had turned sour. They decided to bring in a man who, in the words of a more fraternal Italian St Francis of Assisi, would bring harmony where there was discord. They turned to a man who had impressed them during their days as Barcelona executives for his thoughtful and constructive work at Villarreal. Pellegrini was, and is, a stark contrast to Mancini.

“He’s made it a happy place, he’s brought a joy and happiness around the place."

David Silva on Pellegrini

Mancini cultivated the media, dropping little grenade-like quotes which would ruffle feathers, not least those of Ferguson who was not used to being challenged by the 'noisy neighbours'. He presented a public face which was amiable and passionate, and the fans loved him for it, not least when he went nose-to-nose with Fergie in the technical area as his team were beating the Reds out on the pitch. But in private, Mancini made enemies. One backroom staff member noted he had worked at the club for several months, seeing the Gaffer every day, and had still not had so much as a 'Good morning'. Soriano and Begiristain wanted a manager who would heal such rifts, provide a quicker, more offensive brand of football and bring in a blueprint for the entire club rather than focus on the first team. At Villarreal, Pellegrini had overseen the establishment of a youth academy that challenged the big Spanish clubs and had a first team that had split Barcelona and Real Madrid while playing in an exciting style. He also had players who would run through brick walls for him - some of Mancini's players wanted to hit him with the wall! Pellegrini was underwhelming at first, as his holistic healing took time to hit the spot. The media bowled him googlies, reverse swing and the odd bouncer, and found Geoffrey Boycott-like impenetrability and disinterest. His team lost four of its first six away games but he stuck to his message, and his methods with calm certainty that it was the right way to go. The under-18s and under-21s also began in indifferent fashion as the youngsters adapted to the blueprint the new boss had laid down in meetings with elite development squad head Patrick Vieira, and the academy head. Soriano and Begiristain were acting on the wishes of the owner and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, who were concerned at the negative headlines generated by Mancini's reign. They wanted a man who would grab the country's attention by the quality of football his team played, rather than by having a striker who let off fireworks in his bathroom, or another who took himself off on an unauthorised three-month golfing holiday. Pellegrini was trained as an engineer, but his passion had always been football - and that was a potent combination. Analytical and unflustered, his assuredness in the detail of his planning transmitted to his players. And once his more open, attacking style had blown away the relative caution of the Mancini era, City looked like a new team.

"He's a winner, he wants us to win. He is a measured man and he believes in what he does."

Joe Hart on Pellegrini