It's hard to keep everyone happy, especially with the 25 Nerazzurri forced to fight for playing time on two fronts, the Serie A and the Coppa Italia.

Mancini is, first and foremost, a chemist looking for the right formula. So far, he's dotting the i's and crossing the t's, and the Nerazzurri's 1-0 victory over Roma is proof that his methods are working. Every player seems to be pulling in the same direction, something underlined by Mancini's reintroduction of Danilo D'Ambrosio and Yuto Nagatomo against the Giallorossi.  

Having nearly forgotten the smell of grass, the two defenders acquitted themselves well, as didi Marcelo Brozovic and Adem Ljajic, who seemed to be in disfavour before making recent comebacks.

The former Roma supersub and his Croatian team-mate turned the frustration of being benched into good performances on the field. 

That said, they're far from being out of the woods, as Il Mancio's system seems to punish those who fail, and reward those who do well. The message is clear enough. But has it been heeded?