How Long Will Manuel Pellegrini Remain Manager at Manchester City FC?
Following the sides loss at Premier League mid-table club Crystal Palace, more questions are being asked of Manchester City FC. Unfortunately for the Sky Blues, answers are unlikely to come before the side’s derby match against Manchester United.
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Falling from second to fourth in the Premier League table, Manchester City sit seven points clear of Liverpool and Tottenham. With seven matches remaining in the season, Manchester City will need to quickly find the answers to its late season problems.
Losing both Champions League Round of 16 matches against Spanish giant Barcelona has only added to the growing pressure against Manuel Pellegrini. While fans may still supports Pellegrini, his status in the eyes of the board is quickly fading.
City have already established a precedence for this exact situation. Roberto Mancini led the Sky Blues to their first Premier League title in 44 years. The following season, Manchester City failed to win a single trophy. Mancini was sacked prior to the seasons end, leading to the hire of Pellegrini.
Should the Manchester City board feel the need to replicate themselves, Pellegrini may already be on the way out at Etihad stadium. In the event that Pellegrini is sacked by the board, he would become only the third manager sacked by the board since 2009.
However, should Manchester City sack the Chilean, questions remain as to who could take over at Etihad Stadium. While Southampton manager Ronald Koeman has been linked with the job, he expressed his resistance towards leaving before the end of his contract.
The Dutchman signed a three year deal to become manager at the South Coast side this past summer. Koeman has previously spoken about taking over at a bigger club one day.
"“I am ready to coach a big club. I have spent a lot of time coaching at various clubs, and this type of experience is very important to be a good coach.”"
However, the 51-year old former Ajax, Benfica, PSV Eindhoven, Valencia and Feyenoord coach also stated that a move away from Southampton would likely not occur till the end of his contract.
"“But at the moment I am thinking just about Southampton. I have two more years on my contract after this season.”"
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With Barcelona also interested in Koeman, signing the Dutchman would presumably only be a quick fix at Manchester City.
Also previously linked with Manchester City have been Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone, Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp and Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti all appear out of the running.
With very few “diamond” managers available, City would have to settle for a relative unknown to take over as manager. With Manchester City not in the business of second choice employee’s, the odds of Manuel Pellegrini retaining his job would appear to be on the rise.
While Pellegrini could save his job with a great close to the campaign, nobody in the world of football think like Manchester City. With no trophies added to the cabinet this season, the Sky Blues may make a change for the sake of change.
With the Premier League season drawing to a close, any move at manager would need to come soon. While Pellegrini will need to manage the best he has ever done in his career, his fate may already have been set.