Manuel Pellegrini – CaughtOffside

Former Man City boss Pellegrini reacts to club’s PSR charges – “Always you have criticism”

CJ — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 09:40:54 +0000

Former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini has offered his view on the club’s Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) charges.

The blue half of Manchester have enjoyed unrivalled success over the past decade-and-a-half, winning eight Premier League titles — including the last four and six of the last seven — the Champions League and a host of other major honours.

However, the club is operating under the dark cloud of battling against 115 different charges of PSR breaches dating as far back as 2009.

As well as Pep Guardiola, that takes in the managerial reigns of Roberto Mancini, Mark Hughes and, of course, Pellegrini.

The latter was at the club upon the arrival of the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Otamendi.

Pellegrini was asked for his view on the club’s PSR situation during an in-depth interview with BBC Sport, but gave a rather cryptic response.

“I am sure the fans of Manchester City are really happy with the way the club works and the way they play and the trophies they have won during all these years,” said Pellegrini.

“Always you have criticism about a lot of things.”

Man City’s hearing in regards to their FFP charges is expected to begin in autumn of this year, but could even be held off as late as summer 2025 (per BBC Sport).

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Former Man City boss admits he was a placeholder for Pep Guardiola

CJ — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 08:39:28 +0000

Former Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has revealed he always knew he would one day be replaced by Pep Guardiola.

Pellegrini enjoyed a successful spell in charge of City between 2013 and 2016, lifting the 2013/14 Premier League title and winning two EFL Cups.

However, the final two years of his reign saw City slip to second and fourth in the table, with the club announcing in February 2016 that he would leave at the end of the season to be replaced by Guardiola.

In an in-depth interview with BBC Sport, Pellegrini has revealed he was second choice for the job to Guardiola originally before the Spaniard joined Bayern Munich, but always knew the stars would align eventually.

“I knew before I signed they wanted Pep Guardiola. [Sporting director] Txiki [Begiristain] and [chief executive] Ferran Soriano had worked with him at Barcelona,” said Pellegrini.

“They talked with me three or four months before and said they were going for Pep, but if Pep wasn’t going to be their coach, I was.

“Pep then went to Bayern Munich. I worked there for three years and changed the style of [Roberto] Mancini, which is what they wanted, and they were successful.”

Manuel Pellegrini, Head Coach of Real Betis, looks on prior to the LaLiga EA Sports match between Real Betis and Sevilla FC at Estadio Benito Villamarin on April 28, 2024 in Seville, Spain.

Man City ‘not the same’ club, says Pellegrini

Manchester City are currently battling a host of charges with regards to Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules.

Of course, Pellegrini is familiar with those circumstances given they were hit with sanctions from UEFA thanks to breaking FFP rules.

Pellegrini — who is now in charge of Real Betis following spells with Hebei China Fortune and West Ham after leaving the Etihad Stadium — believes Man City today are ‘not the same’ as the club he managed, but that they’ve gone on to greater things.

“It is not the same Manchester City as it is today. In the first year, we bought players, but in the second we couldn’t improve the team because we had a Uefa punishment. The third year we improved with Raheem Sterling and Kevin de Bruyne,” Pellegrini added.

“After that, Manchester City continued investing a lot of money in good players to get a better team. Maybe today, with Real Madrid, they are one of the two best teams in the world.

“I didn’t have a problem to leave. I knew they would continue growing because they are very ambitious and know how to develop football.

“When you work with Txiki and Ferran, you know they will not fire you because of a couple of results. I knew I would finish my contract. They give you a lot of security.

“The club continued to grow and is still growing. After I had important offers – especially in Italy – but for different reasons I couldn’t do it. Three years in Manchester was enough.”

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“He can’t be bothered” – West Ham legend puts the boot in on current ace

Jason Pettigrove — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 09:27:42 +0000

West Ham are enjoying another solid season under David Moyes, a manager who deserves credit but rarely seems to get it.

The Scot has worked wonders for the East Londoners, giving them their major first trophy of any description in 43 years, and consistently getting them into Europe.

Though Tim Steidten has had a hand in transfer business of late, it’s Moyes that would surely get the final say and, on that basis, you have to doff your cap in his direction once more.

All of the club’s recent signings have dovetailed nicely into the squad, and that says much about the manager’s ability to get them working together as a unit.

There are still players that are surplus to requirements, however, with one current star on the end of a vicious tirade from a West Ham legend.

“Listen, I like (Pablo) Fornals but he knows he’s not getting in the team right now,” Frank McAvennie said to West Ham Zone.

“It even looks as if he doesn’t want to play at the club any more, he can’t be bothered is the message I’m getting from recent performances.

“He’s been great in recent years where he’s performed admirably and worked his socks off, you know, on the European Cup journey he was brilliant, but he’s looked a shadow of the player we saw then.

“I honestly think he could go before the deadline very easily, West Ham have to let him go I feel.”

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McAvennie has never been short of a strong opinion or two on his former club, and with Fornals almost entirely out of the picture in terms of playing time – WhoScored note he’s played just 891 minutes in all competitions in 2023/24 – a move away makes sense.

The associated cost saving on wages could even give the Hammers a late transfer window boost and might allow them to bring in another player before the deadline.

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They say attack wins you games and defence wins you titles – what can Arsenal learn from past winners?

Mark Brus — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 11:49:11 +0000

Jamie Carragher has made his case about Arsenal looking less like potential champions this year than last – Gary Neville has said he disagrees…so what do the numbers say about if you need a better attack or defence to win the Premier League title?

Neville’s argument is one we’ve heard many times before, that this current Arsenal side might be producing less free-flowing attacking football than last season, but they are better equipped to get over the line in difficult games when they’re not at their best. Neville probably subscribes to the view of his former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who certainly knows a thing or two about winning titles, who said that “attack wins you games, defence wins you titles”.

While it wouldn’t be right to say Fergie and Neville don’t know what they’re talking about, and there are more intricacies in the twists and turns of a season-long title race than the final league table might suggest, it seems the numbers don’t back up this claim.

Since the start of the Premier League in 1992/93 season to the last completed campaign in 2022/23:

The team that scored the most goals won 20 of the 31 titles
The team that conceded the fewest goals won 15 of the 31 titles
The team with the best attack but not the best defence won 11 of the 31 titles
The team with the best defence but not the best attack won 5 of the 31 titles
In 31 seasons a team has both scored the most and conceded the fewest ten times – only once did this fail to result in winning the title (Tottenham in 2016/17)

Ferguson should really know a thing or two about this, as his Man Utd sides came out on top of teams with better defensive records a few times. On one notable occasion, you may remember his team winning the treble, despite conceding 37 league goals to the 17 let in by runners-up Arsenal, with the 21 extra goals from his side clearly making the difference over the course of the campaign.

Later, in 2006/07, United finally overcame Jose Mourinho’s rock-solid Chelsea side by putting together a world class attack containing Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, rather than doing a great deal to his defence. When Manchester City snatched the title from them in dramatic fashion in 2011/12, Fergie’s response was to sign Robin van Persie, and he was pivotal in firing the Red Devils back to first place the following year, even though City still ended with the better goals-against record.

Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea – a rare example of defence winning titles?

Is this perhaps a problem, then, with the way that Arsenal are perceived? So often stereotyped as playing attractive attack-minded football but lacking discipline and making silly mistakes, perhaps this is why many have been led to believe that the Gunners need to tighten up if they are to bring silverware back to the Emirates Stadium again.

Still, Arsene Wenger won two doubles without his side having the best attack or defence, though they were in 1st place for both in the 2003/04 Invincibles season – their last title. As noted above, however, it was their lack of goals that saw them finish behind United’s treble winners, rather than conceding too many. This trend definitely changed later, however, as they had the best goals-scored record for each of the 2002/03, 2003/04 and 2004/05 seasons, but won the league only once in that time, and in a season when both their goals scored and goals against columns had lower numbers.

Exciting Betis ace with £26m release clause is interesting both Chelsea and Liverpool

Jason Pettigrove — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 08:07:47 +0000

When the game’s best talent becomes available, both Chelsea and Liverpool would expect to at least be in the conversation.

We recently saw exactly that scenario with the pursuits of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, both of whom chose the Blues over the Reds.

Lavia has yet to make his bow at Stamford Bridge of course, whilst Caicedo is easing himself into life in west London after his record-breaking move from Brighton and Hove Albion.

Both could be joined by Real Betis youngster, Assane Diao, if a move to the club appeals to the 18-year-old.

Mucho Deporte also note Liverpool’s interest in the wonder kid, and it might well be third time lucky as far as Jurgen Klopp is concerned.

With a €30m/£26m release clause the player is well within the grasp of both Premier League outfits financially, and though the Verdiblancos are believed to want to raise this by about €10m, that’s still unlikely to be a problem.

The outlet also note that Betis’ sporting director, Ramon Planes, is aware of potential suitors for the player and, whilst it seems clear their preference is to keep him, Planes will understand the commercial possibilities if they’re able to maximise Diao’s transfer fee and effectively sell him to the highest bidder.

As of this moment, there has been no official word from the player himself or his representatives as to whether they consider Betis remains the best place for him to continue his footballing education.

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West Ham ace admits team-mate was bullied in the dressing room after poor performances

Jason Pettigrove — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 11:51:52 +0000

When all is said and done football clubs are just another place of work, and one former West Ham star has recounted the time that one of his team-mates had clearly had enough of the treatment he was getting by colleagues and others.

Back in 2019, West Ham were being managed by Manuel Pellegrini in what turned out to be an ill-fated spell for the Chilean.

Though Pellegrini appeared to be well respected, to the point where the club acceded to his wishes to break their transfer record twice in order to bring in two players – Felipe Anderson and Sebastien Haller – the experiment never really worked.

It’s perhaps with that backdrop in mind that goalkeeper, Roberto’s mistakes were highlighted more than they normally would be.

“I could feel the pressure around and for me, I just wanted Roberto to do well,” David Martin, a fellow West Ham keeper at the time and son of club legend, Alvin Martin, said on The Ironcast.

“Genuinely, hand on heart, I wanted the club to do well and I wanted him to succeed. But then also in the back of your mind, I remember even seeing an interview from you [James Collins] and you were saying, you’ve got to play Dave Martin.

“I was supporting him in training as much as I could, after games talking to him, it was tough. You could feel it in the stands, you could feel it on social media, reading online. For Roberto, I felt really sorry for him.

“He was a good goalkeeper, you could see it was definitely affecting him in training, the last three or four games, it was really getting to him.

“After the Burnley [match] especially, even the players were really starting to turn negatively towards him which was really hard to watch as well, and you could see him coming in in the morning and he didn’t want to speak.

“Going into games, he was actually making some saves, but like what we said before, you’re judged as a goalkeeper by your mistakes and he was making mistakes, there’s no getting around it.”

Effectively flagging up bullying in the workplace is a bit of an own goal from Martin, though it’s worth remembering that a dressing room is a hugely competitive environment at the elite level and if you’re not on your game your team-mates are going to let you know about it.

As it turned out, Roberto didn’t last long in east London and neither did Pellegrini.

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Rangers vs Real Betis: Live stream, TV Channel, Start time and Team news

Connor Holden — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 10:43:03 +0000

Rangers take on Real Betis in the first game of Europa League Group C on Thursday, 21st of September, at the Ibrox Stadium, at 20:00 PM (BST).

Rangers won their last game, beating St. Johnstone 2-0 in the Scottish Premiership. Goals from Danilo and Rabbi Matondo for Rangers to secure the win and three points.

Real Betis lost their last game, being smashed 5-0 by Barcelona in La Liga. Goals from Joao Felix, Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres, Raphinha and Joao Cancelo.

How to watch Rangers vs Real Betis

Date: Thursday, September 21st, 2023
Kickoff: 20:00 PM (BST)
TV Network: TNT Sports
Venue: Ibrox Stadium

Team News:

Rangers will be without Todd Cantwell, Kieran Dowell and Steven Davis through injury.

Real Betis could be without goalkeeper Rui Silva who went off against Barcelona at the weekend. Claudio Bravo, William Carvalho and Nabil Fekir all look set to miss out too.

Predicted XI:

Rangers: Butland, Yilmaz, Davies, Goldson, Tavernier, Lundstrum, Raskin, Lawrence, Roofe, Lammers, Danilo.

Real Betis: Vieites, Miranda, Riad, Bartra, Bellerin, Roca, Altimira, Perez, Isco, Henrique, Willian Jose.

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Manuel Pellegrini returning to haunt West Ham as he plots bid for brilliant 27-year-old

Jason Pettigrove — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 09:00:36 +0000

Though it’s been some while since Manuel Pellegrini managed West Ham United, the experienced Chilean could be back to haunt the Hammers this summer.

Now overseeing a successful Real Betis side in La Liga, Pellegrini is looking to strengthen the verdiblancos and, to that end, is preparing a bid for one of the east Londoners brightest talents.

Although Relevo note that any transfer operation won’t be easy, Pellegrini has set his sights on a reunion with Pablo Fornals.

The player, who scored the winning goal in the Europa Conference League semi-final last season, hasn’t come out and said he wants a transfer.

Given that David Moyes often plays him out of position when he plays him at all – only 19 appearances as a starter in all competitions last season and six games where he played the full 90 minutes per WhoScored – a return to La Liga might well appeal to the Spaniard.

It will be interesting to see just how far Betis are willing to go to secure their man, as it would leave the Hammers light.

They haven’t even got out of the starting blocks themselves in terms of incoming transfers, so to lose another player before having the chance to bring in reinforcements isn’t a good look for Moyes and David Sullivan.

The flip side is if the east Londoners are able to secure a reasonable fee and lose Fornals’ wages, it gives them a little more leeway in the marketplace, though they’ll have to work hard and fast now.

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Leeds player tells closest friends he wants to leave the club

Jason Pettigrove — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 15:58:42 +0000

It’s sure to be a tumultuous time for Daniel Farke at Leeds United, as he not only gets to grips with his new surroundings but also the players that he will have at his disposal for the 2023/24 Championship season.

The German has it all to do to get the all whites back into the Premier League at the first attempt, however, with the right mentality from his squad and the appropriate backing in the transfer market from new owners, 49ers Enterprises, there’s no reason why it can’t be achieved.

Already back in first-team pre-season training, the players will have to work hard to convince their new manager that they’re worth a place in his starting XI when the whistle goes for the first match of the new season.

Elland Road

Some are bound to be disappointed, others will consider it a fantastic opportunity to get the recognition not afforded them by the likes of Messrs. Marsch, Gracia and Allardyce.

Farke will have his own ideas of course, but his new broom doesn’t have to sweep away everything from the old regimes.

If certain aspects worked for them, there’s no reason it won’t for the new man in charge too, and if he can implement them into his philosophy, it could be a win-win all round.

One player that may not be part of the new dawn at the club is Marc Roca.

According to Diario de Sevilla, the player has apparently told his closest friends that he wants to leave Elland Road, and it’s believed that Real Betis are waiting in the wings for him.

The 26-year-old defensive midfielder left Spanish football in 2020 when he signed for Bayern Munich from Espanyol, before heading to Leeds.

It appears that a loan move back home clearly appeals too, given that TeamTalk editor, James Marshment, has tweeted that the player will be taking a drop in wages to seal the switch.

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“Unbelievable” – La Liga boss admits he enjoyed Liverpool’s 7-0 hammering of Man United

Darren Looney — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 16:34:23 +0000

Real Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini has admitted that he was overjoyed at seeing Liverpool put seven past Manchester United on Sunday ahead of his side facing the Red Devils on Thursday night.

The La Liga side travel to Manchester for the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie on Thursday and will have to be wary of a response from Erik ten Hag’s side. On the other hand, the Red Devils could still be shook from their Anfield hammering which Betis will then look to pounce on.

Either way, Pellegrini enjoyed Sunday’s result and stated that he was not very sad about what happened.