It has been just over a month since an incoherent, disjointed, unhappy Manchester City were out-thought and outplayed in the FA Cup final by a Wigan side whose squad cost less than a few City players' transfer fees alone and Roberto Mancini was sacked two nights later.
The reason Mancini lost his job despite the dramatic league victory two seasons ago had nothing to do with second place not being good enough, it was a multitude of factors that Sheikh Mansour, chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak and the men now charged with running the football side of the club, former Barcelona sporting director Txiki Begiristain, and Ferran Soriano (once the general manager of the Catalan club) deemed unacceptable and warranted a change.
The eyebrow-raising words on City's official website after Mancini's exit was confirmed was that they were looking for a successor with a more 'holistic approach' to club management. To define this, they were not after a man solely obsessed with achieving results by hook or by crook, but somebody who could develop Manchester City as a footballing institution in all facets of the club.
For example, Mancini was a very stone cold personality towards his players, and never developed much of an empathy, or relationship with them. He publicly criticised the likes of Joe Hart and Vincent Kompany in recent months, a brave stunt taking into account both players' integral contributions to City's dramatic Premier League victory in the previous campaign, while his attitude behind the scenes alienated coaches and other members of staff. Former City kitman Stephen Aziz, who pulled a celebratory grin into the Sky camera on the touchline after Sergio Aguero's famous goal, left not too long after that afternoon. After Mancini's sacking, Aziz tweeted that he was glad to see the back of the Italian and described him as 'arrogant, vain and self-centred'- an opinion seemingly shared by many others working at the club.
Pellegrini's personality differs greatly, even if he can be a disciplinarian. Don't think he is a soft touch. He had no qualms in dispensing with his star playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme at Villarreal when he crossed the line one too many times. But he develops a bond with his players, and his methods enable them to relish their football, and enjoy going to training. He preaches hard work but with a softness and respect for those playing under him. When the Malaga players found they were not to be paid after he promised them they would be, acting as a mediator between the board and the squad- he threatened to resign. What happened? The wages were paid and Pellegrini remained. Mancini never gave much hint of being able to build such a rapport, at all.
Whilst City have grown notoriety in some quarters for their juggernaut-style investment, their hierarchy do not want the club's reputation to be of a big money evil of modern football. Begiristain and Soriano have been installed as jacks of all trades, to oversee all football activity and this includes the youth development programme. It is thought one of Sheikh Mansour's own priorities is to see academy talent brought through into the first team squad. Last season, only two made any kind of appearance in the league. Ivorian Abdul Razak made three substitute cameos and a Dutch full-back Karim Bekik made one appearance at home to Reading. He was subsequently loaned out to Blackburn Rovers. Now, whether these players were good enough makes no difference- it is a damning statistic.However Pellegrini has always been an advocate of giving young talent a chance. At River Plate in Argentina he won the league championship whilst nurturing talented playmaker Andres d'Alessandro. He developed Lucho Gonzalez, who has since impressed at Porto, and the composed centre-back Martin Demichelis, who went on to excel at mighty Bayern Munich before rejoining his mentor at Malaga. He also introduced the terrier Javier Mascherano into the Los Milionarios fold, who has since gone on to become one of the world's most fearsome defensive midfielders. Also at Villarreal, it was 'the Engineer' Pellegrini who gave 16-year-old Santi Cazorla an opportunity to shine that he grabbed with both hands. Cazorla would also head for Malaga to hook up with the man who developed his game to the heights it is at now before being sold to Arsenal to pay off club debts. Indeed, Ferran Soriano elucidated Pellegrini's commitment to youth on Manchester City's website after his appointment was confirmed: "He shares the Club's approach to football and our ambition to achieve on field success, coordinating with the wider football support teams to ensure natural progression from the Academy to senior level."
At City, David Silva could be the man to play behind Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero, two forwards whose movement, ball control and intelligence make them tailor-made for Pellegrini's philosophy. Two holding midfielders usually protect the backline to allow the artistry to flourish. At El Submarino Amarillo, it was Marcos Senna, whose ability to hold fort was epitomised at Euro 2008 when Spain produced arguably their most swashbuckling football since the beginning of their major tournament monopoly. Shakhtar Donetsk's composed Brazilian, Fernandinho, has signed for £34m, and he will fit this role like a jigsaw piece, as that is what Pellegrini is about- constructing a fluid unit from back to front where the parts fit to perfection, and the product is designed to excite and thrill. At Real Madrid, he wanted to put together something similar- only for president Florentino Perez to offload players he intended to be key components of that outfit. Even then, with a side based around Galacticos, he acquired 96 points, a club record, only bettered by Pep's wonderful Barcelona, yet was sacked. Their obsession with glamour was never suited to his style, which entails the creation of foundation.
The other management objective that Mancini failed quite spectacularly at was in European competition. Despite domestic success, all too often City resembled a group of individuals rather than a team the sum of its parts, and in Europe the latter is an absolute requirement in order to progress and develop. Mancini pointed to two 'Group of Death' scenarios as the reason they failed to advance to the knock-out stage in both of his Champions' League attempts at City, but the fact is his own tactical naivety reared its ugly head several times, none more so than in the penultimate group game of the 2011-12 campaign at Napoli's San Paolo. He felt he could go to Naples and take them on in a swashbuckling fashion in the same manner they were winning Premier League games at the time, showing them little respect whilst ignoring the danger the Azzurri posed. City were outplayed with the 2-1 scoreline flattering them. Unfortunately for Mancini, European success requires something he lacked- astute tactical and technical intelligence. Even in the Europa League, a tournament he led City in twice, he fielded strong sides on paper, yet they were bundled out by Dynamo Kiev and Sporting Lisbon. Hardly the most intimidating of opposition.
By contrast, Pellegrini has taken Villarreal to the semi-finals of Europe's premier competition, where Juan Roman Riquelme's penalty miss in the final minute of the second leg against Arsenal proved costly, and Malaga to the quarter-finals whilst players were sold off and wages were being delayed- and even then there was more bad luck as Borussia Dortmund's winning goal was offside and should not have stood. His fluid system encourages creative football, but attacking methodically, with the spine of the team being maintained to ensure no naivety in its defensive setup. His sagacious analysis of the opposition has enabled him to upset some of the more established clubs on the continent, having knocked Manchester United, Inter and Porto out of the Champions' League during his Spanish adventures.
He speaks excellent English, 'an eight out of ten' according to Sky Sports pundit Guillem Balague, so that will not be a problem. He handles the media smartly and will not snap like Mancini did on several occasions- including a rant at the club's communications director. While some tabloid journalists such as Martin Samuel at the Daily Mail have been sceptical of the new man at Eastlands, I think most will be enamoured by his personality and approach- which features enough portions to match the desired 'holistic' direction Manchester City are intending to embark on.
The challenge has already been set. Soriano has implied five trophies in five years can be accomplished. Assuming bonus competitions such as Community Shields and Super Cups count, this is achievable by any of the top three clubs in the Premier League. But providing 'the Engineer' is given time to develop his vision for the first team and academy, the club derided for its monopolisation of the transfer market may change people's perceptions and subsequently its own reputation. A City team with youth graduates as well as established talent playing the club's footballing philosophy is the ultimate goal, almost like the Barcelona that Soriano and Begiristain worked at, or even like an Ajax. It is an admirable direction to take and one I hope pays off.
But in the short-term, City's holistic Chilean will face an intriguing Premier League landscape. The man he controversially defeated in the qualifying round of that memorable semi-final run at Villarreal, David Moyes, will be feeling his way into how an internationally elite club operates at Manchester United. And the man who replaced Pellegrini at Real Madrid, Jose Mourinho, is back at Chelsea with a point to prove after an unhappy final season at the Bernabeu. Aside from Arsene Wenger, the Portuguese is the only other man to have won the title in England and be managing there next season. However it will be a vastly different league to what it was back when his original Chelsea machine broke its points record in 2005. And that might just tip the scales in City's favour.
But it promises to be fun- as Pellegrini's own words to the supporters will testify: "My first message is to tell all the supporters they will enjoy the season. I am sure they will enjoy the way our team will play. We will play an attractive, offensive play." One thing is for certain, the loyal match-goers at the Etihad Stadium will not be bored at any point of his evolution project, which from afar, will be fascinating to follow when it begins, from pre-season next month to the opening league fixture in August.The blue moon rose to new heights on May 13, 2012 when Sergio Aguero sank QPR to win Manchester City the Premier League, and for all Mancini's faults, his name is justifiably associated with that glorious triumph. However, this new direction can enable them not only to continue to obtain silverware, but plaudits, friends and admirers in addition to that as Manuel Pellegrini strives to feed the club the holistic medicine it demands.
Let the healing process commence.
