Micah Richards has revealed that Samir Nasri had the "biggest argument" he had ever seen when he tried to square up to Roberto Mancini before the Manchester derby in 2011.
The Italian had set out how he wanted his Manchester City team to play before their trip to Old Trafford and were planning certain routines, such as set pieces. It's a normal thing to do before matches, with Mancini ensuring his side were as prepared as they could be before playing Manchester United.
However, after a while, Nasri's patience snapped and it caused a huge altercation between the pair. Richards admitted that the Frenchman offered to fight Mancini after a tasty encounter on the training field.
He told the Daily Mail : "After a while Samir's patience snapped. Mancini kept stopping us to move Nasri around. 'No, you here, you here,' he'd say, and then we'd start again. Then a whistle. 'Samir, you here, you here.' Again and again until Nasri had enough. 'I know what I'm f****** doing,' he shouted at Mancini, and then he walked off.
"That's a taboo, walking out of a training session, but Nasri wasn't the sort to care. He was not to be messed with. He kept going until he'd disappeared inside. Mancini replaced Nasri with James Milner and started the session again.
"When we were finished training, they picked up where they'd left off. They were screaming at each other, swearing in French, neither one budging. It was absolute carnage.
"Eventually, Nasri offered him out. 'Talk to me like that again and I'll kick the s*** out of you,' he said. To his manager. I don't think it was an empty threat. Samir wasn't one to back down. It was the only time that I ever saw Mancini walk away."
Despite the argument occurring just days before the game, City still went out and battered United 6-1 at Old Trafford - the biggest margin of victory in the derby since 1926. It was a ruthless performance from Mancini's men as they swept aside the reigning Premier League champions.
City led just 1-0 at half-time, but the second half was completely one-sided and the eventual margin of victory could have been even more convincing. Mario Balotelli put City on their way with a fine finish, calming tucking the ball into the bottom corner before lifting up his shirt to send a message which said: "Why always me".
United were reduced to 10 men when Jonny Evans was sent off early in the second half before City doubled their lead on the hour with another superbly created goal finished by Balotelli. Silva cleverly played in Milner, who provided a cross that left the striker with the simplest of goals from close-range.
Sergio Aguero added a third and, even though Darren Fletcher pulled a goal back, this only proved the signal for a late surge by City that brought three more goals and a result that will have sent shockwaves through the Premier League.
Substitute Edin Dzeko scrambled in a fourth and the magnificent David Silva ran clear to add another, before the Bosnian striker inflicted the final wound seconds from the end.
