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WWhen Manuel Pellegrini remembers his visit to Manchester City, he does not give the impression that he is awake at night and ruminates his regrets. Although he was piqued to be sidelined for Pep Guardiola in 2016, the manager of West Ham is not one to consider a meeting with his former club as a revenge mission. Instead of flying over the past, Pellegrini is used to talking about his "three good years" with City, calling them his friends and letting others worry about the ruthless management of the elite.
It's a ruthless business and Pellegrini has chosen to no longer worry for too long. He was once one of the fire robbers, a young coach who was screaming against his players and scolding officials as he was trying to fight his way into the warmth of Argentine football. He is more measured now, more comfortable with himself, a man who has come to appreciate the value of patience. According to Pellegrini, slowing down his heart rate is one of his greatest achievements. Noise suppression is another of his qualities, although it is possible to hold his attention if you ask him what his first season is in Manchester.
Howard Hockin, City fan and podcast host 93:20, remembers it as an "offensive game avalanche". Pellegrini is no less effusive about the 2013-14 campaign, when he helped City to win the Premier League and League Cup with a breathtaking football, and it's not the same. never hesitated to point out that his team scored 151 goals in all competitions. record. A team that was tired of the caustic approach of Roberto Mancini delighted with the attraction of Chilean philosophy.
The problem, however, was to maintain these standards. Those who wondered if Pellegrini had won the league only because Chelsea and Liverpool had made him doubt his methods more fervently when inconsistency and poor defenses became the norm more deeply in his reign. There was also, of course, the shadow of Guardiola who was threatening him. It was Polichinelle's secret that City was waiting for the Catalans to leave Bayern Munich and, although Pellegrini won his second League Cup and fell in the Champions League semi-finals in his third season, nobody disputed when City replaced him former director of Barcelona.
That said, Pellegrini may regret the time he offered to give his opinion on the first difficulties of Guardiola in England. "Maybe many thought that with the arrival of Pep, they would win the Premier League with a difference of 15 points," he said in February 2017. "No, in England, it's not the case. "
There will be chuckles to that one. City has reached unimaginable heights under Guardiola, winning the 19-point title last season, and Pellegrini may well know it, the hard way, when West Ham host the champions on Saturday afternoon. This is not just about the numbers. While City often had an impression of improvisation under Pellegrini, they are now robust and form a strong team that innovates by humiliating his opponents.
The comparison does not favor Pellegrini. In addition to Guardiola's relentless quest for perfection, his placid spirit may seem vague under a harsh light, the versatility of football expressing strength as weakness. It's no wonder, some would say, Pellegrini's found in China after leaving City. His skeptics conclude that his time at the top is over.
Such views go back to his year without a trophy at Real Madrid almost ten years ago. The humiliating defeats of the Alcorcón lower league in the Copa del Rey and Lyon in the last 16 games of the Champions League of the 2009-10 season were indefensible failures after the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo at £ 80 million . However, Pellegrini, who had prospered in a less pressing environment in Villarreal, hated Bernabeu's policy.
"He came from Villarreal where you can work in peace," says Álvaro Arbeloa, the former Madrid defender. "He did an amazing job there, but coming here and reading the newspapers every day was difficult. But we had a lot of confidence in him and his ideas on how to play. The season was really marked by what happened in Alcorcón and the elimination of the Champions League against Lyon. These are two key moments. "
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The players have always held Pellegrini in high esteem, congratulating him for his determination to attack and his loyalty to them. Rodolfo Arruabarrena, Júlio Baptista and Néstor Gorosito rank him as the best coach of all time. Fans of Málaga and Villarreal, meanwhile, will recognize that Pellegrini has refused to panic after losing his first four games this season. He remained true to his beliefs and West Ham slowly progressed to the top of the table. "He has a lot more stubborn personality than people think," says Arbeloa.
For Pellegrini, his mission is to make West Ham think and act as a great team. It is perhaps here that the 65-year-old finds himself in his element, drawing on his experiences with two of Spain's least fashionable clubs. He made himself known in Europe with Villarreal, placing them in the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2006. After Madrid, he moved to Malaga, evoked financial problems and lost a quarterfinal of the Champions League against Borussia Dussmund of Jürgen Klopp because of a goal offside in overtime.
These memories are enough to make West Ham believe that they took the initiative to name him this summer. Pellegrini may not be remembered as one of the legendary managers of the game, but there is much to admire in a man who can smile from the time he won a record 96 points with Madrid and he still finished second in Barcelona, while conquering. It's life.
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