Remember him? Of course, you do! At least, some of us still do. With the breathtaking football that City played under Guardiola last season, it can be easy to forget the man who bought in a lot of the core players that the Spaniard worked magic with.
Pellegrini is still the manager who is widely respected for his work at City and now that he’s back in the league with West Ham, it becomes important to acknowledge how the quiet and soft-spoken manager can surprise everyone at the club.
Here are three reasons why Pellegrini might surprise everyone in the Premier League with West Ham:
He’s won a title in England before
Pellegrini knows what it’s like to win in the Premier League, as he managed to guide City to their 2nd title in the history, albeit he got a bit of luck that “slipped” his way.
At West Ham, he’s not expected to do so; not by any stretch of the imagination. West Ham are in a bit of a financial quandary following their move to a new stadium, which means there’s not much for them to spend.
David Moyes did what was expected of him – he kept them in the league and the fans were satisfied. However, the owners decided to let him go and Pellegrini is surely an upgrade the fans can look forward to.
He knows how to command respect
Unlike Moyes, Pellegrini is a very meticulous and disciplined manager who commands respect with his tactical and orderly mind. He doesn’t demand respect by bellowing at his players or playing mind games like Jose Mourinho.
Almost every player who’s worked under him has talked about the calming effect he brings and West Ham could do with some.
The players aren’t in sync with one another and there isn’t a set line-up that they can bank on. Pellegrini’s biggest task at hand will be to get them playing together as a team and getting them to believe in his vision.
If he comes with a lot of baggage, his primary concern would be to convince the players instead of making them follow him. However, his baggage is his short and happy legacy at City and that’s a good starting point.
He gets the best out of skilful players
One of the Chilean’s biggest assets is his ability to get the best out of players who possess a lot of flair. He was one of the main reasons that players such as Isco and Cazorla at Malaga and Juan Roman Riquelme at Villareal were able to take their game to another level.
West Ham have players of similar ilk in Joao Mario and Manuel Lanzini. A bit of “The Engineer’s” Chile powder could just be what they need. He will improve their style of play and get the fans out of their seats once again.
He also has an eye for talent and was responsible for bringing in the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Sterling to Man City. While their upturn in performances can be attributed to Guardiola, it was Pellegrini who helped them settle at the club.
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