Guardiola looms large but Pellegrini proving he won't go down without a fight

Posted Saturday, November 21, 2015 by Goal.com

The Chilean rarely says much for the press to get their teeth into, and has even been written off as tactically inflexible, but he has been a changed man in recent months

Despite being well into his third season of Premier League football, not a great deal is known about Manuel Pellegrini in England. It may even be fair to say that not many people want to know.

He does not tend to get the credit when Manchester City win, his character and personality is not scrutinised when they lose. He is there on the sidelines as bigger, more exciting names do their business out on the pitch, or are sat in the opposition dug-out - as will be the case when Jurgen Klopp comes to town on Saturday.

Pellegrini, it must be said, has forged a reputation as the quiet man of English football's big boys. He has made saying the bare minimum an art form.

It goes back to his very first day in charge of City, when his maiden press conference was overshadowed by David Moyes's unveiling across town. He was more than happy to let somebody else take the spotlight; journalists, expecting an hour or so with the Chilean, had just 17 minutes of material to work with. And that was shared with Fernandinho, who was talking through a translator.

It set the tone; Pellegrini has not made many headlines since. He does not want to. Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho – an old rival who moved back to Chelsea a month before Pellegrini's arrival - Arsene Wenger, Brendan Rodgers and now Klopp have all fascinated in the intervening years, but the City boss has been happy to straight-bat the questions that come his way.

His business is football. But even his tactical approach, the very fibre of a manager's being, has been written off at times. His outlook is attacking but basic, critics say. Cramming big-money players into a broad 4-4-2 is not enough for a club targeting European domination. It was not enough for Real Madrid, either.

Pep Guardiola is said to be the man waiting in the wings. Just as Pellegrini put up with the spectre of Mourinho during his sole season in charge in Madrid, he now is dogged by the shadow of the iconic Bayern Munich boss.

But, quietly, he has come out fighting. Many expected him to be sacked at the end of last season, but he rode out talks with the club's hierarchy and even signed a new one-year extension on the eve of the current campaign. "For a dead man walking, not bad," he quipped, surprisingly, as City started with four wins out of four. The run has continued and they are firm favourites for the title.

He is thriving on the pressure: "For me it is very important that the possibility exists that they can get rid of me. What I fear most when I leave this profession is that void of not having those permanent demands placed upon me." It may be easy to speak more freely to the author of your forthcoming biography, as he did so here, but he has been just as forthcoming – perhaps uncharacteristically - about his delicate situation when facing the press.

Before the thrashing of Bournemouth he countered the suggestion that his new contract gives him extra confidence: "About the contract you never know. How many managers have long contracts and they are sacked in the same way?"

But he is fighting all the same. It was defeat at Old Trafford in April which prompted many to believe he was on his way out. Perhaps the man himself believed it, too. As talk raged that Van Gaal's men would overtake City and finish second, Pellegrini instantly changed to a 4-2-3-1 formation, another surprising move. It yielded 11 consecutive victories; enough for second place last term and for top spot a month into the new campaign.

For those early wins have been the platform for City's season. Swathes of doubters had written off half of the squad during the summer but a fortnight into the new season they were regarded as hot favourites for the title. Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure, David Silva and Eliaquim Mangala, in particular, stopped the tide of negative headlines.

Pellegrini, typically, has not received quite the same level of recognition.

He himself has admitted responsibility for last season's "failure", but it was Yaya Toure who revealed the strength of feeling the players have for their manager.

"Before this season, all the players had a talk and we promised the boss we would recover our level. We had to do it for him, for us and for the fans."

It goes to show that entertaining or eccentric interviews are not necessarily the mark of a great man motivator.

The Chilean's tactical tweaks this season alone have caught many off guard, too. At half-time against Watford he switched back to his beloved 4-4-2, but at exactly the right moment. Within two minutes of being moved centrally, Raheem Sterling had opened the scoring.

But the most eye-catching shift came in their biggest game of the season to date. A counter-attacking, defensively disciplined, intelligent display brought about a superb 3-1 victory against Sevilla, City's best performance in the Champions League to date and perhaps a seminal moment for manager and club alike.

Sevilla had won their last 10 European matches on their own turf, but City, who ceded possession, produced a consummate performance, the type which takes teams deep into the competition.

Pellegrini was the man charged with taking City to the next level and, belatedly, there are signs he will be able to do it.

Where would that leave him? The pressure under which he thrives is real; Guardiola could well occupy the City dugout next season no matter how well he does.

It wouldn't be the first time. Having pushed, ironically, Guardiola's great Barcelona team all the way during his one season at the Santiago Bernabeu – his Madrid side finished second with 96 points – he was shown the door in favour of Mourinho.

The Portuguese took pleasure in denigrating his predecessor, who had taken up residence at Malaga: "If they get rid of me, I will go to a big club in the Premier League or Serie A".

In the funny world of football, the great Mourinho may now find his own options limited. If Chelsea get rid of him, there may not be a long queue of top-flight clubs in line for his services.

Pellegrini may yet find himself in the same boat – how he fares in Europe this season will dictate the quality of his next employers – but if he continues to work, thrive even, under the pressure of being replaced by one of the game's elite managers, there will be no shortage of admirers around Europe.

Perhaps, too, the English public may finally appreciate the real Pellegrini.