Why..?

Nothing to smile about Manuel...and we don't want you at Chelsea

So Pellegrini saw fit to send his youngsters to Stamford Bridge to play in the most prestigious domestic cup tournament in the world. What a shame. He disrespected the competition and, if you want to get sensitive, disrespected Chelsea. In the end he got what he deserved and probably gained nothing in terms of experience for his young guns who will probably just feel demoralised.

Chelsea have the best set of youngsters out there and have basically won it all in the last few years and they wouldn't dream of putting them out as a whole team.

So Pellegrini had injury and team concerns ahead of his Champions League tie against Dynamo Kiev..so what. This isn't the CL semi-final or final we're talking about..he should have played his best team on Sunday and his best team in the CL a few days later. With the form they are currently in, City have no hope of a CL final appearance anyway.

Lets hope in years to come managers, especially foreign managers, understand the importance of domestic trophies like the FA Cup and don't start fielding second string sides in that competition. We already have a competition for that and it's called the League Cup...oh and guess what, Man City are in the final of that one.

Small Team...

Well I knew this day would come. I could never forgive Pellegrini for his 'Small Team' jibe against Chelsea last year and, as if that wasn't enough, insulting other teams in the league like Stoke along the way. Some of Mourinho's comments might seem 'other worldly' at times but you could never accuse him of insulting other teams or players. On the contrary, he generally heaps praise on other teams and players if they do well against him - take Bradford for instance.

'MANUEL Pellegrini described title rivals Chelsea as a "small team", comparing their playing style with Stoke City during a bad-tempered end to their 1-1 draw that had Jose Mourinho accusing Pellegrini of double standards'.


Pellegrini: "You are playing like a small team Jose"
Mourinho: "Do I look bothered? Let's see who's 'small' at the end of the season."

Pellegrini was obviously frustrated by the Etihad result not to mention the mauling they got the previous season when Chelsea won there. Then of course there is the fact that Mourinho took Pellegrini's job at Real Madrid...but you have to be 'bigger' than that as a manager.

The point is not every team has a squad like Man City. A squad that in my view is more powerful, has more depth of quality players and has more experience than any team in the league. They can afford to attack every team they come across - or so you would think.

Yet tactically and mentally they appear to have gone to pieces. They are a shadow of their former selves. They really have a become a 'small team' in the true sense of the word. Players should stand up but Pellegrini must shoulder most of the blame.

Maybe next time he'll choose his words more carefully and not be blinded by personal rivalry.

Moving on, it will be an interesting few weeks in the Premiership. I can see Manchester Utd. , Arsenal and maybe even Liverpool getting a result against Chelsea - who are far from their best. The thing is with Chelsea is that Mourinho probably isn't even thinking about beating those teams. He'll just want a draw against each of them to stop them closing the gap. That will probably be enough to win him the title.

Fear is the Key...

So Manchester City failed again in the first leg against Barcelona. Again they played with fear. I actually felt a bit sorry for them. They have a fantastic squad - still the best in the Premiership in my view - and I thought they should have walked the title last season. I actually thought that they'd win it this season too (they may still) but it doesn't look great for them.

They can't play the 'inexperience card' any longer in the Champions League either. The players now have the CL experience and in any case, as individuals, most of them are Internationals and are used to playing at the highest level.

Despite not being a City fan, I like to see English clubs in the latter stages of the Champions League. This was just such a waste. The problem of course is Pellegrini. I am not sure what he was thinking setting up his team with two strikers. I understand that he may have thought that his team were stronger this year and Barcelona weaker - but essentially you are coming up against the best 'possession football' side in the world and with 4-4-2 you surely leave yourself exposed - especially against Messi, Neymar and Suarez. It was just painful to watch.

I actually thought City would win the match before kick-off...until I saw the formation.

Pellegrini tried to justify his tactical decision with City's second half performance. Yes, it 'looked' better but equally Barcelona were in that situation where they were happy with a 2-0 lead and had no need or desire to push on. That, and the usual over-enthusiastic commentary on the TV, almost made you believe that City had a chance of pulling the game back. They never did. Once city got the goal, Barcelona attacked a little more and really should have won it 3-1 with a last gasp penalty.

Still, City seem to be better away than at home - they'll need to be. Pellegrini is no doubt a decent man but he has all the charisma of a breeze block and I can't imagine that he is a great motivator. Maybe it all gets lost in translation of course.


Pellegrini

I just don't think City will ever fulfill their true potential with the Chilean as their manager.