A little article here on him :
http://sport.uk.msn.com/socialvoices/pe ... gue-choiceEven as Manchester City’s fans reverberated Roberto Mancini’s name round Wembley on Saturday, the protest against the Italian’s imminent sacking seemed in vain.
Even more so after Wigan’s late winner condemned City to an embarrassing cup final defeat and a trophy-less season.
Indeed, after a week of intense speculation over his future, Mancini was dismissed as manager on Monday night, a year to the day after Sergio Aguero had famously changed the landscape of English football with one swish of his right foot and less than a year after penning a five-year contract worth around £35 million at City.
But with Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini said to be succeeding Mancini at the Etihad, the City hierarchy already seems to have found their man. And all the evidence suggests he’s the right man.
By appointing Pellegrini as the man to take them forward, City would be making a very clear statement of where they expect the club to be competing; Europe.
The truth is Mancini’s future was decided long before Ben Watson’s header found the Wembley net on Saturday. In fact, the Italian’s fate might’ve been settled all the way back in November, when City crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage for the second successive season.
City might’ve been dealt a tough hand, drawn in the so-called ‘group of death’ on both occasions, but their performance, failing to win a single game and finishing bottom, was not fitting of City’s resources and expectations.
By contrast, Pellegrini’s unfashionable and unfancied Malaga side reached the competition’s quarter-finals, missing out on a place in the last four by virtue of a questionable offside call against Borussia Dortmund.
However, an approach for Pellegrini would be based on more than just results. By turning to him City would be a taking a truly European mentality, despite his Chilean nationality.
At both Malaga and Villarreal Pellegrini created a distinct identity and style of play, something City have lacked under Mancini.
While Mancini struggled to convey his ideas at City, often displaying a concerning lack of man-management acumen, Pellegrini’s greatest strength could be considered communication with his players.
And while Mancini’s stubbornness often distorted his true tactical ability, Pellegrini’s tactical nous has made him one of Europe’s most accomplished coaches.
A hallmark of Pellegrini’s sides at Malaga, Real Madrid and Villarreal has been intelligence and method in attack.
With the emergence of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund as European superpowers, counter-attacking football is somewhat in vogue right now, but Pellegrini has demonstrated in this season’s Champions League the continued relevance of a calculated, patient approach based on technical ability.
Players like Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Carlos Tevez mean Pellegrini could implement that philosophy at City immediately. The appointment of former Barcelona directors Txiki Bergiristain last year suggested City would eventually adopt the ‘Spanish way’ and Pellegrini’s background suggests he would deliver that.
But, perhaps, the most appealing detail of Pelligrini’s C.V is his affinity for a long-term project, like the ones he oversaw at both Malaga and Villarreal.
Rather peculiarly for a club that has just fired their manager, City would be making a commitment to stability should they appoint the 59-year-old.
In many ways Pellegrini could actually be considered the anti-Mancini, or at least his opposite.
Of course, while Pellegrini has led two of the most compelling underdog stories of the Champions League era – with Villarreal reaching the semi-finals in 2005/06 and Malaga coming within seconds of the same stage this season – he presided over the most expensive squad ever assembled as manager of Real Madrid three years ago, splurging close to £200 million on Karim Benzema, Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo.
But despite leaving the Spanish capital after just one season Pellegrini boasts the highest win percentage (75%) of any Real Madrid manager under president and Galacticos visionary Florentino Perez, recording the highest league points tally in the club’s history (yet still finishing second to Barcelona).
The Chilean was not a victim of his own failure in Madrid but of Jose Mourinho’s availability after winning the Champions League with Inter Milan and Perez’s certainty the Portuguese could deliver the club’s coveted tenth European Cup.
Somewhat ironically, it is in the European arena where Pellegrini has now distinguished his already polished reputation and marked himself out to City, who now see the continent as the next stage in the club’s natural progression towards becoming a genuine force in the European game.
While Mancini will forever go down as the man who took City to the top of English football, Pellegrini could be the man to conquer Europe for them.
