Manuel Pellegrini howler as he gets his calculations all wrong

Manuel Pellegrini

Manchester City went into the game against Bayern Munich, needing a difference of two clear goals to top their group. After trailing to the German giants by two goals in the opening exchanges of the match, they pulled off a sensational come back as James Milner scored in the 62nd minute to give the visitors the lead.

With 28 minutes to go, the manager could have gone for the jugular by bringing on both Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo, who were surprisingly rested for this match. However, contrary to popular logic, Manuel Pellegrini brought on Alvaro Negredo in place of David Silva and a defensive midfielder in Jack Rodwell in place of Bosnian Edin Dzeko.

When asked why Aguero was not sent on, he replied: “I was tempted (to bring on Aguero) if we scored the fourth goal of course. That’s why I sent Aguero to warm up.”

David Silva started this game after a lengthy absence due to injury. He was Manchester City’s best player on the pitch, scoring the first goal, to get the team back into the game.

When asked why Silva was substituted in the 73rd minute, with just one more goal required to top the table, he said: “[But] to score two goals in those circumstances would be difficult and Silva has to play no more than 70 minutes”

However, the manager in his defence, said that finishing top of the table was not a priority for the Manchester club.

Whether this gaffe will come back to haunt Pellegrini and Manchester City remains to be seen, with the Champions League draw scheduled for 16th December.