Whether Manuel Pellegrini is appointed Manchester City manager or not, one thing seems clear: the Sky Blues will be playing a variation of 4-3-3 next season.

With both of their technical directors Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain calling the shots, having arrived from Barcelona last October, the Etihad wants to implement a La Masia-esque philosophy.

That will require much tinkering given the fact that City has been playing 4-4-1-1 and even experimented with three at the back under Mancini.

Until the club makes its first major forays into the transfer market, it is difficult to guess how they will staff the 4-3-3 they intend to use.

But two pieces of recent news are significant. Gael Clichy has signed a new contract, while Micah Richards, who has just returned from a lengthy knee injury, is set to be offered a long-term deal.

The full-back positions are crucial when playing a 4-3-3 in an attacking sense, especially if a team chooses to use inverted wingers or strikers on the flanks. With Pablo Zabaleta in the mix, all three will need to be more effective next season.

For City, the back four appears settled in that case, particularly with the rise of young Serbian Matija Nastasic who provides a composed ball-playing option alongside captain Vincent Kompany.

But it is further forward where question marks really remain in a 4-3-3.

Yaya Toure has signed a new contract but in his current guise, how will he fit into a fluid midfield trio. One can point to his Barcelona days where he played as the holding midfielder behind Xavi and Andres Iniesta.

But since his arrival in the Premier League, he has converted himself into a human express train, whose greatest contribution occurs in the attacking third of the pitch.

That means an able defensive partner is crucial. Is Gareth Barry the man to provide the defensive edge but also the metronomic passing and mobility to maintain possession and rhythm?

Defensively he is strong but a pass completion rate of 82 per cent in the opposition half, while solid, is below the requisite level for a player who does not play many high risk passes.

David Silva's role will be interesting. Arguably City's most important player of the past few seasons, he has often featured on the flank in a 4-4-1-1 with licence to roam inside.

But perhaps, he may be handed a much more central role in a 4-3-3 in a similar way to compatriots Juan Mata at Chelsea and Santi Cazorla at Arsenal earlier in the campaign. It is a positon he is capable of filling with aplomb having featured there for Valencia.

Manuel Pellegrini's arrival has also brought about suggestions that Malaga attacking midfielder Isco will be on his way to the Etihad. He can feature on the left but more often than not he has figured in a central role, which could see Silva out wide on the right.

Meanwhile, Samir Nasri can play out wide and centrally in a 4-3-3. But after his recent struggles, he may well find himself on the bench even if he remains at City.

Further forward, Sergio Aguero's positioning will be fascinating. Could he play centrally or will he pushed into a wider support role on the left?

He is able to take on a wide role, starting on the left four times this season which yielded one goal. Carlos Tevez, had a good season personally, and can play in a similar role, but the indications are that he will finally do what he has threatened to do for some time by leaving.

But much depends on City's plans to bring in a more target man-like centre-forward. Much of the speculation has surrounded a move for Edinson Cavani.

But as great a striker as he is, whether he can fit into a forward 4-3-3 is still an unknown. That will certainly be pondered by Soriano and Begiristain, although they must be careful that a change of philosophy is not drastic in its speed of implementation.