A goalless draw at Tottenham Hotspur on the opening day of the Premier League, followed by a 1-0 triumph against FC Timisoara in the Europa League are results which the Italian is bound to have welcomed.
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However, upon closer inspection, you'd have realised that there wouldn't have been much more than the scorelines that pleased Mancini.
City undeservedly stole a draw at White Hart Lane, while they snuck a less than convincing victory in their trip to a relatively unknown Romanian outfit. For a club which has invested over £120m this summer on new playing talent, the Citizens haven't exactly hit the ground running.
Understandably, Mancini has called for patience while his team attempts to gel. After all, when you throw a set of players together in such a short period, it is going to be almost impossible to deliver instant results.
Yet the game plan that Mancini employed for the trip to Spurs was one which failed to show the type of ambition expected of a side with title aspirations. The Blues had an extremely defensive mindset - the selection of three holding midfielders is proof of that.
Persuading Sheikh Mansour that he requires extra time is going to be difficult for Mancini. This Monday's match-up with Liverpool at Eastlands will provide a reasonable indicator to the owner as to whether City are genuinely going to launch a bid for top spot.
It seems ridiculous to claim that a game this early on in the season contains that much importance, yet from Mancini's perspective, it clearly does.
Having spent a similar amount in transfer fees heading into the last campaign, former boss Mark Hughes lasted until December with the team sitting in sixth position. Although City were performing significantly better than their 10th place finish the year before, it wasn't enough to satisfy the Sheikh.
When you take into account the fact Mancini has effectively topped up that squad of players, he would be lucky to last as long as Hughes if City begin to fall short of the very high expectation levels. Therefore, it is vital that Mancini secures all three points when City meet the Reds at the City of Manchester Stadium.
Not only does the former Inter Milan manager need a win, he needs a big performance - something to convince the Sheikh that momentum is being built for a successful season ahead.
Lose, and he'll begin to fight an uphill battle to remain in charge.
- Richard Bates
Source: DSG
Source: DSG