Remember when Stones did the Cruyff turn in his own box and then gestured to the crowd to relax? It's probably a perfect metaphor for Roberto's brand of football.
I do believe that he's in the process of building something astonishing. We've got the core of Stones, Barkley, Deulofeu and Lukaku. And then Funes Mori, McCarthy, Besic and Cleverley are yet to hit their peak. Niasse is in that same age group too , but he's an unknown quantity. And I'm sure that there will be more top drawer recruits in the summer. Possibly even Yarmolenko?
Beyond that we have players like Browning, Galloway, Garbutt and McAleny. And beyond that Ledson, Dowell, Leandro etc.
We've had a taste of European football and we're becoming increasingly consistent in the cup competitions. We just need that extra bit of luck.
It has taken time for players to adapt to Roberto's possession-based game but the long-term result is that we'll have a team who are incredibly slick. I remember seeing a clip of Bayern going to City and the side from the Etihad just couldn't get the ball off them. We're already seeing signs of that but there will be times when the opposition are happy to sit back and let us have the ball and we need to find a way of breaking them down.
Our side is young enough that they could learn to win big competitions together and dominate the game at home and abroad during their peak years. Fantasy? Perhaps. But we've shown that we're a match for anyone even in our raw state. If we can add a bit more savvy and a bit more strength in depth why couldn't we be challengers?
The FA Cup set Ferguson and Kendall on their way when they were under pressure. And, even if we don't win tomorrow, I don't see the sense in dismantling all the many positive things that Martinez has brought to the club because we haven't yet mastered the art of defending.
