Why Pellegrini could be the perfect fit for Manchester City

Manuel Pellegrini of Malaga has been heavily tipped to take over the reigns at Manchester City. (Getty Images)

After Roberto Mancini was sacked on Monday evening, his former employers’ attentions turned to Malaga’s Chilean coach, Manuel Pellegrini. Though still to win a major trophy, it could be that City have found the ideal man to carry forward the sky blue ‘project.’

Despite the success Mancini brought to the Etihad stadium, winning an FA Cup and a first league title in 44 years, City will no doubt be looking to implement changes that will kick-start a squad that has faltered badly this term. This may not involve a significant change to the playing staff per se, but at the very least, a re-evaluation of attitude and philosophy needs to be addressed.

The FA Cup defeat to Wigan was a perfect illustration of City this season – looking jaded and lacking inspiration, not only on those cold, wet nights in Stoke, but in Europe too. It has been as though the whole club has been suffering a year-long hangover since Sergio Agüero’s last-gasp, title-deciding goal. It started with the indecision shown in last summer’s transfer window and has continued on the pitch from then on.

Mancini’s abrasive nature has done nothing but exacerbate what were only niggling issues during last season’s title push. Unpredictable temperaments such as Mario Balotelli have not responded well to the Italian’s in-your-face management style, at times coming to actual blows and leading to the player’s mid-season departure to Milan. Aside from Balotelli though, throughout the City squad, Mancini has been unable to motivate his players, with virtually his entire grade-A title-winning generals underperforming.

There has been muddled thinking tactically from Mancini this season also, switching unsuccessfully between formations and personnel throughout. This has proved beyond many of the city squad, particularly in Europe where the switch to three centre-backs unhinged what had been one of the most solid defensive units the previous season.

All this has left City 11 points shy of last season’s total, with only one match remaining and a goal-difference 30 worse off than the one that pipped their city rivals to last year’s Premier League title. Add to this City’s poor showing in Europe and the languid display in the FA Cup final and it easy to see why City’s Abu Dhabi owners felt the need for a change of management, but just what will Pellegrini bring in response to Mancini’s failings?

Pellegrini has been coaching in Spain for the past nine seasons and, despite not picking up a single trophy in that time, he remains one of the most highly-regarded coaches in the country. During a difficult period in charge of Real Madrid, under a President who didn’t want him and with players he didn’t ask for, the Chilean not only maintained the reputation he had built while in charge at Villarreal, but arguably enhanced it, battling under testing conditions to reach a points total in the league that in any other season would have won them the title, but that ultimately was beaten by arguably the best club side ever assembled.

After one season at the Bernabéu, Pellegrini was replaced by José Mourinho, and moved on to take over the ‘project’ that was being installed at the previously unfancied Málaga by Sheikh Abdullah al-Thani. €60m was spent on players and Pellegrini was brought in. Half-way through the first season though, Thani lost interest, the spending ended and money was no longer available. Results began to slip as players went unpaid and the club fell into crisis. However, out of the mess that was left, Pellegrini galvanised his troops enough to enable Champions League qualification for the following season. Thani had disappeared though and without his financial backing the club were forced to drastically restructure to cut costs and drive down a back-breaking wage-bill.

Despite Pellegrini’s insistence that selling Málaga’s prize-asset, Santi Cazorla for €20m would be too low, the club sold him for less and Solomón Rondón, Joris Mathijsen and Ruud van Nistelrooy swiftly followed out the door with many more of the club’s players looking to follow suit. Pellegrini intervened though, convincing his want-away players that the Champions League was a fantastic opportunity for them and in doing so, prevented a mass exodus.

This is an aspect of Pellegrini’s character that sets him apart from Mancini – the ability to maintain relationships with players even under the most difficult of circumstances. In much the same way as Mourinho does, Pellegrini paints himself as a father figure for his players, treading that fine line between autocrat and diplomat, authoritarian and liberal. In the wake of Mancini’s explosive, confrontational personality, Pellegrini will represent a welcome change in management style for City’s players.

Malaga were seconds away from making it to the semi-finals of the Champions League. (Getty Images)

As mentioned, Mancini’s dismissal was fuelled in no small part by his poor record in Europe – two first round exits was simply not good enough with the array of talent assembled. Conversely, Pellegrini has built his formidable reputation on the back of his teams’ performances in Europe – he is the only coach to take two Champions League debutants, Villarreal and Málaga, to at least the quarterfinals, which included a narrow final defeat for his Villarreal side in 2006. Where Mancini’s thinking in Europe seemed muddled, particularly in defence, Pellegrini’s Champions League sides are built on a solidity first approach – with the Villarreal side that reached the final conceding only eight goals in their 12 Champions League matches that season.

While Pellegrini accepts that defensive solidity is essential against the best teams in Europe, at heart the Chilean will always look to favour attacking play from his sides, putting much emphasis on talented and technically gifted playmakers such as Juan Román Riquelme for his Villarreal side in 2006 and placing that same emphasis on the attacking talents of Joaquín and Isco this year during Málaga’s impressive run to the quarterfinals. Málaga’s breathtaking attacking play during the group stages of this year’s Champions League impressed many, but these instincts were reined in after reaching the knockout rounds, attacking only in bursts against Porto and in their narrow defeat to Dortmund.

Mancini has been shown as tactically naive against the best coaches, not only during his time in Manchester, but during his tenures at Inter and Lazio too. In hiring Pellegrini, Manchester City will be bringing in one of the most tactically astute minds in Europe, a coach with all the necessary qualities required to get the best out of a City’s ensemble cast of faltering superstars. In choosing Manchester City, Pellegrini may, at 59-years old, finally have found a platform to fulfil his undoubted potential.