Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini can right his defensive wrongs faster than Sir Alex Ferguson at United That happened far too often against Tottenham last week, partly because the midfield couldn't offer much protection when the likes of Gareth Bale stormed through the middle. It led to Jonny Evans committing the cardinal sin of crossing over, running behind Ferdinand to leave a huge gap. To avoid such scenarios, United's central midfielders could do worse than sit nice and tight in front of that rearguard to deny any space for the counter-attack. In a straight chase, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs or Carrick don't have the legs to compete. They've got to turn this match into a test of pure ability. On that score at least, they stand a great chance. City Few can understand why Mancini changed a winning system, why he dropped Joleon Lescott as Vincent Kompany's partner or why he started experimenting with three at the back. The club's famous title victory, after all, was built on defensive resolve. In Kompany and Lescott, Manchester City had two top centre-halves. From what I hear, though, the Italian truly believed he had to make changes in order to move the team forward. That meant introducing a better player on the ball than the limited Lescott, hence the appearance of young Matija Nastasic. In pre-season, what's more, the team had looked very good with three centre-halves. It seemed like a shape that might just work. Mancini, however, was forced into a rethink when the tactic backfired at Liverpool in August. Neither did it last long against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, the manager quickly reverting to four at the back after conceding a soft goal with three. The move only seemed to confuse, to leave defenders unsure of their precise role. For Saturday's home game with Sunderland, then, Mancini will surely stick with what his players know best and hope several can up their game to the levels of last term. Kompany, Yaya Touré, Samir Nasri, none has found the form that served City so well. But a certain starter today should be Gareth Barry, whose calm demeanour and sound positioning have been missed at times. With Javi Garcia doubtful, Barry should get the nod to lend some stability to a stuttering midfield. His experience can certainly be useful in countering the lively Stephane Sessegnon, just as Lescott's strength in the air might come in handy if James McClean gets a chance to swing in a cross towards the prolific Steven Fletcher at the far post. Mancini might want to move forward but, in doing so, he shouldn't ignore some dependable stalwarts.