[ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE] - Manchester City under pressure against Manchester United

How quickly things can change. Ten days ago, Manchester United were the listing ship heading for stormy waters. Having required a late Daley Blind goal to salvage a point against West Bromwich Albion, what possible hope did they have against Chelsea and then Manchester City?

City had just annihilated Tottenham and, while they suffered the indignity of allowing a two-goal lead to slip in Russia that ended in a 2-2 draw against CSKA Moscow in the Champions League, they had West Ham and Newcastle as easily digestible pre-derby appetisers. But all of a sudden, it's two defeats in two games and it's City who are nervously scanning the horizon as the deck creaks ominously beneath their feet.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini hasn't felt pressure like this since he arrived in England in 2013. Four defeats in his first 11 league games were largely accepted as the perils of a settling-in period, easily forgotten when his team found their stride and went on a long streak of victories over the middle of the season. But form like this is unfamiliar for the Chilean manager. City supporters, however, have seen all this before.

It's hard not to immediately think of the half-hearted title defence of the 2012-13 season when you see the lethargy in City's ranks. Having won their first Premier League title in such dramatic circumstances, all the vitality seemed to drain out of Roberto Mancini's team over the summer. They would eventually finish second, 11 points behind United, and an FA Cup final defeat to Wigan sealed Mancini's fate. Pellegrini knows very well how high expectations are at this club and the punishment for falling short.

City's defeat to Newcastle on Wednesday in the league cup was inexcusable. While Joe Hart, Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero were left out of the starting lineup, it was hardly an untested selection of callow youths and reserves. Indeed, the Magpies were the ones with a weakened side, fielding two teenagers and a man who hadn't played since injuring himself in 2012.

Nor were there refereeing decisions to blame. The most contentious call of the night was Stuart Attwell's decision not to award Newcastle a penalty when Aleksandar Kolarov wiped out Gabriel Obertan. This wasn't even one of those matches in which City make chances but fail to convert them. City put only three shots on target all evening. When the full-time whistle came, their own fans booed them off the pitch, and they were well within their rights to do so.

Pellegrini has much to ponder as Sunday's big game against Manchester United approaches. There are a few individual concerns. Edin Dzeko's substandard performances have robbed City of a more physical focal point. Yaya Toure, stricken by personal tragedy, has been less than his best all season. Eliaquim Mangala is finding the transition to English football rather harder than anyone expected.

But City's real problems are more widespread. There is a noticeable lack of emotional resilience in this team. When games begin to slip away from them, they crumble. They can be knocked out of their stride with persistent pressing; they can lose belief too easily when they concede. With a few notable exceptions, there seems to be a discernible lack of hunger, the same lack of hunger that followed their last league triumph.

Perhaps one of the reasons for this is the absence of youth in their squad. The team that took to the field on Wednesday had an average age of 28.7. Only Mangala (23) and Stevan Jovetic (24) were under the age of 28. This is a squad packed with experience, but it is also a squad that has little to prove. The players have more financial security than most European nations and more silverware between them than Macy's. Off the pitch, City have made great strides with their youth system, investing in one of the most advanced training and academy facilities in world football. In years to come, it's reasonable to believe that they will have a rumbling conveyor belt of young talent at their disposal. For now, however, this is an ageing team.

It's an ageing team that needs to get its act together. United, for all the confidence engendered by their late equaliser against Chelsea, are not the finished article. But they know how to attack and they know how to get at teams. Manager Louis van Gaal will have his full-backs pushing up and pressing, and if City's players are as soft-headed as they were against Newcastle, they'll be punished.

Ten days ago, this looked like a straightforward home win. Now, it's City who are under pressure and United who have nothing to lose. Who would want to be in Pellegrini's shoes now?

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