Roberto Mancini has claimed that Mark Hughes would deserve 50% of the credit if Manchester City qualify for the Champions League.
Victory against Tottenham at Eastlands on Wednesday would leave City just requiring three points in their final game against West Ham at Upton Park on Sunday to claim the Champions League berth that was Hughes' stated target at the start of the season.
It was an aim owner Sheikh Mansour did not believe the Welshman was capable of delivering in mid-season, so Hughes was abruptly sacked in December, with Mancini being installed in his place.
But even if the Italian is celebrating at the weekend, he will spare a thought for the man he replaced.
"Mark Hughes worked here for the first five months of the season and worked very well," he said.
"If we get fourth position he deserves 50% of the credit because I think he worked well.
"I have worked for five months and he has worked for five months. The season has been split between us."
It has been suggested Mancini will follow Hughes through the exit door if City do not finish fourth.
Yet the ultimate decision will be taken by a super-rich individual he has actually never met.
It is a far cry from his days at Inter Milan, when president Massimo Moratti was a constant figure around the changing ground.
And Mancini is not worried, content to work closely with chief executive Garry Cook and chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak.
"It is not strange," he said.
"It is different in Italy because the owner is always at the training ground. You meet him every week.
"It is different but I think we have the time to meet him this summer."
The final sentence is just one of the hints Mancini makes towards his own longevity, which includes his wife and daughter moving to England in September to bring a more solid base to his home life.
Yet so much appears to hang on the next two games, in particular the visit of Tottenham.
If Spurs win, they cannot be caught in fourth. But if City can claim fourth, it would open up a whole new world, which the huge amount of cash at their disposal makes them ideally placed for.
City's potential seems to have inhibited them in recent weeks.
But, after rallying to beat Aston Villa at the weekend, Mancini now knows the Blues are approaching their date with destiny.
"I know this is an important moment for the club," said the Italian.
"We have worked for this. All the players have worked for this target.
"I have worked here for five months. I can build a good future here. We are trying to change the history of the club."
Although Joleon Lescott has been ruled out of the run-in with a hamstring injury, City could have Gareth Barry available after the midfielder missed Saturday's victory over his former club with a similar problem.
Although it is hardly a surprise for Mancini to state progress has been made since he arrived at the club in December, there is a sense of City becoming a more formidable, if less exciting outfit.
Certainly no-one will be interested in the entertainment value on Wednesday, when the result tramples over any other consideration.
Mancini is determined his players should not be affected by the situation, although, on the training ground at least, he sees no sign.
"There is no pressure. It is a football match, not a war," he said.
"If you are not happy where you work I don't think you stay. I am happy because I want to build a good team here.
"Being in the Champions League would allow us to progress. It is important for the club and everyone here."
And from that base, a tilt at the title could be launched.
It is the vision Mancini outlined when he first arrived in Manchester and, despite all the trials and tribulations since, it is one he believes still remains.
"Yes, that can still happen," he said.
"The game will probably decide where we finish this season. If we win we have probably a 70-80% of getting fourth."
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