Why Manchester City MUST keep hold of Manuel Pellegrini.

Manuel Pellegrini, the Chilean engineer, a man with 9 honours to his name, including the premier league title won last season with the blues of Manchester. But now we are in the crunch time of the season and Pellegrini’s men are out of all cup competitions and now lie in 2^nd place 6 points behind Chelsea who have a game in hand, his future has now come under much scrutiny. Whether Sheikh Mansoor should keep hold the current City gaffer is a topic we are all discussing.

I for one think that when Manchester City decided to part ways with Roberto Mancini back in 2013 was the right decision; he appeared to lack charisma and confidence in most of his press conferences, he could not handle controversy well (Balotelli, Tevez) and despite winning the title in 2012, he could not get Manchester City playing with the swagger they play with now (under Pellegrini). In terms of handling controversy and player issues, whilst Mancini was erratic and miserable, Pellegrini was calm and composed (dropping Joe Hart last season, Mourinho digs, poor referees) – the media and even fans could have made a meal out of this situation but the Chilean’s calm manner kept everything under control – a characteristic that every manager of a top side must have.

In early April of last season, Liverpool had beaten and quite frankly outplayed Manchester City at Anfield; the title appeared to be all but gone for the sky blues. In light of this game, members of the media and fans applied enormous pressure on Pellegrini as to why they supposedly let the title ‘slip’. Some predicted that Liverpool would go on to win their first league title in 24 years, even I did, but whilst Liverpool buckled under pressure, it was Pellegrini’s composure which kept his players on the task of winning almost all of their remaining games and exploiting Liverpool’s slip ups (ha). Great credit must be given to Pellegrini, his team were under huge pressure and he kept everything under control; let’s not forget how easy it is for managers to buckle under pressure (Kevin Keegan in 1997 and Rafael Benitez in 2009).

Finally, let’s not forget the emphatic manner in which Manuel Pellegrini’s men won the title last season, they were a team who scored 102 goals in the league alone – the second highest ever in Premier League history. Manchester City were a team who oozed confidence, even James Milner – much maligned by Mancini played a prominent role in City’s title success. Pellegrini gave his players the confidence and freedom to rip teams apart (City 6-3 Arsenal being one unfortunately), the pace and intensity at which they played was second to none, unlike their time under Roberto Mancini, Man City look like a real team with real cohesion. Manchester City fans must be grateful for what Manuel Pellegrini has done – he has limited controversy, he has not let the pressure get to him and he’s turned Manchester City in to a force to be reckoned with. Although Chelsea look set to win the league this season, I would not be surprised to see Manchester City come back with a bang next season. If Pellegrini were to be sacked, the Man City hierarchy would be taking steps back and effectively undermine all the progress that has been made, this current City team is yearning for consistency and longevity, and sacking Pellegrini would ruin all of that. It is absolutely imperative that Manuel Pellegrini remains at the etihad come the end of the season.