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There has been a lot written about Manuel Pellegrini this week, mostly about the incredibly dignified way in which he has not only approached the Pep Guardiola question, but football in general.
He is one of the game's statesmen, a cool, dependable presence in a world of mind games and jibes. He doesn't often show it in his press briefings but he is an enlightening manager whose long career in the game, his academic background and interest in wider culture, shine through - when he wants it to.
He will leave the Etihad Stadium this summer as a hero, and quite possibly as the most successful manager in City's history.
He won the Premier League and League Cup in his first season and - despite this inept performance and result against Leicester City - could well do so yet again. But it is not good enough. This is the Pellegrini paradox.
It is only owing to the top-flight's general malaise that City have been, and still are, despite everything, firmly in the title race. Their away form has been poor since the middle of September, meaning their results at home have kept them in touch with the Foxes and Arsenal, who themselves do not boast the consistency or quality of former champions. And while City have blown teams away on home soil, they have still conceded more at the Etihad than on the road - and by quite a margin thanks to Saturday's massacre.
Pellegrini is a very good manager, with certain flaws, in charge of a talented squad. More often than not that is enough to win matches in the Premier League, and indeed enough to win domestic titles. But against well organised opposition the cracks appear very quickly. Tottenham, Liverpool and Stoke City have already ripped this team to shreds in the manner that Leicester did here.
City's complete lack of progress in the Champions League on Pellegrini's watch is the biggest proof of why the club need an overhaul on the pitch and in the dug-out.
This is why City have pursued Guardiola for so long. The club insist they would have stuck with Pellegrini had Guardiola not been available, but it's easy to say that after months of increasing confidence that they had in fact got their man.
Everybody knows that the future beyond this summer is bright, but Pellegrini is right when he says the remainder of this campaign has to be the focus.
He will not make any sweeping changes after this game - one of his traits that has become increasingly frustrating. Yaya Toure will still be picked in midfield whenever physically possible (or even when not physically possible, as the case may be), he will continue to pick dangerously adventurous teams on home soil even when they are ill-suited to coping with the threat of the opposition. He will play Fabian Delph on the left, and Raheem Sterling up front. He will most likely insist the defending has not been anything to worry about.
These are not new complaints. These are the idiosyncrasies that City fans have come to know and, in many cases, love. But nobody coming away from the Etihad on Saturday could say that was good enough for Manchester City. And as much as the manager is popular - fans sung his name at the very end - few would tell you that things would change for the better if he were to stay in charge for next season.
It is the harsh reality. City could yet still win the title; after the mad month of February, March will most likely contain just one non-Premier League fixture. Barring their involvement in the Champions League, City will have a clear run at the league title. It is on the Pellegrini bingo card but it's true: there's a long way to go. City have also proved time and again that they can hang on in there despite everything.
That is one admirable quality of this team and this manager, but once again it has become painfully clear that this is not good enough.
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