The balance has tipped Manchester United's way in the Premier League title race, and City face a real test of their mettle over the final 10 games.
The key to success at the business end of the season is experience. You need to know how to win games during the run-in, and cope with the pressure. For all their talent, City don't actually have too many league winners in their squad.
You can point to Yaya Toure who was a serial winner at Barcelona, and David Silva who won the World Cup. But a lot of their major signings, like Gareth Barry, James Milner, Joleon Lescott and Edin Dzeko have not won a great deal, and I don't know if they have the mental edge.
They looked short of ideas yesterday against a Swansea side that monopolised possession, passed the ball well and stayed on the front foot. It seemed like City were expecting them to sit back and wait to get beaten, but the Welsh side's positive approach paid dividends - it was a similarly brave gameplan to that employed by Athletic Bilbao at Old Trafford last week.
Every season is a learning process - you don't ever stand still in football. If City fall short, it will stand them in good stead for next season. You could make a comparison with the 1991/92 Manchester United side. We were favourites for the title that year, but lost out to Leeds because we didn't have the know-how in tight games at the end of the season. We were lacking that little spark to unlock defences.
The following season, we had the experience and the knowledge to come through. We also had Eric Cantona, who could not only turn a game with a goal, but such was his charisma that his mere presence could unsettle defenders.
Of course, City have a player on their books who could offer an X-factor, something different and unexpected, and that's Carlos Tevez. While he was far from blameless for the episode that saw him disappear to Argentina, I think Tevez was unfairly scapegoated. When you look at Roberto Mancini on the bench and the way he interacts with players, he does not seem like one of the world's great man-managers.
Tevez can speak out of turn, but he has never had problems with a manager like the ones he has had with Mancini. I hope he is used over the run-in, and that he does well. City have plenty of technical ability up front, but at times they lack the tigerish, aggressive presence of Tevez - somebody looking to make things happen, who is willing to chase lost causes.
Honestly, I don't think City should even be in this position. They have by far the best squad in the Premier League, and a manager like Jose Mourinho would have them well clear.
Mancini might have won the title in a weak Serie A, but Mourinho has an amazing track record of getting the job done - he has won league titles in Portugal, England, Italy and is about to add Spain to that list. I don't think he would give United a sniff, but Mancini is just not in the same class. As it is, a pretty ordinary squad, by United standards, is top of the table - if they win the title it will rank among Ferguson's greatest achievements.