Manchester City weren't expected to beat rivals United at the weekend in the first of two dramatic and surprisingly exciting FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley, but pull off a shock win they did, and in some style too (if you discount the particularly unstylish actions of a certain Italian upstart, that is).
However, the manner in which City celebrated at the final whistle shows that the squad possess an element of complacency that could yet prove to be their undoing. Roberto Mancini doesn't often appear to get too carried away by victories, with the Italian manager usually a calm influence on the touchline, but the manner in which the City boss led a raucous on-pitch celebration shows that the City players and coaching staff clearly believe they have one hand firmly on the FA Cup trophy already. Those placing football free bets will be less sure.
If City do take their eye off the ball, so to speak, when they come up against a Stoke side that managed to thrash Owen Coyle's normally resolute defensive unit 5-0 yesterday, then they could well be in for a massive wake-up call, and one that threatens to call into jeopardy City's 35-year wait for a major trophy, with the Sky Blues last winning a trophy back in 1976 when they lifted the League Cup.
With City fans surely well aware that one trophy win could open the floodgates for more over the next few seasons, with the first taste of success always the most difficult to achieve, an FA Cup victory is clearly not important just for the short term glory that it represents.
Should Stoke take advantage of any element of complacency, next season could turn out to be a demoralising one for a City side that will need all the self-belief and confidence it can get if the Champions League campaign they so badly want to be involved in isn't going to end in humiliation.
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