Some managers complain of never knowing what a club expects of them so that when the inevitable happens, and the axe falls, they can say that they thought they had done well enough. Should the seemingly well-reported stories of Manuel Pellegrini moving to Eastlands and succeeding Roberto Mancini prove to be well-founded, the Chilean will not be in that situation. The requirements of the job have been laid out in clear tones by the cub hierarchy.
Sky are reporting that during City’s brief post-season tour to the United states, chief executive Ferran Soriano confirmed that the criteria for success would be five trophies in five years – including the Champions’ League. It is interesting to note however that he didn’t specify if this meant one trophy in each year. One is left to speculate whether if the first two years of the new incumbent’s tenure were lacking in silverware, would the manager be given the opportunity to redeem himself with a big haul over the next three years? Somehow, I doubt this would be the case.
Although reluctant to confirm interest in Pellegrini, Soriano did little to kill the speculation, declaring that "I think the boxes are right. You know what we want. The analysis of the candidates goes beyond the results that we can see.” He also took careful aim at the outgoing Mancini by saying that "Age is not relevant at this point, but with the kind of squad we have, we want a senior manager.We want a manager who knows about football but we want somebody who knows about man management and this is something we are convinced about, that it is impossible for us to win the Champions League if we don't have a group that behaves like a family." Clearly, this is a reference to the sometimes abrasive approach of Mancini and the apparent often disharmony between the manager and the playing staff.
Pellegrini waved off to his home fans in Malaga over the weekend, and it seems likely that it will be only a brief period of time before his appointment at Manchester City is confirmed. With new management in place at city rivals United, and a new manager on the way to Chelsea, it could be an ideal opportunity for Pellegrini to join City, with such a fluid outlook to the Premier League’s high rollers. Conversely, the Chilean will be acutely aware that a trophy on the sideboard will be the minimum requirement in his first season, after that he look forward to a ramped up pressure to deliver. Gimme five!
Source: DSG
