Pellegrini eyes Euro berth

AFP, SWANSEA (UK): Manuel Pellegrini ends his reign as Manchester City manager on Sunday with a final opportunity to leave a legacy of Champions League football.
Pellegrini takes charge of City for the last time at Swansea before being replaced during the close-season by Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola.
Despite reaching the semi-finals of this season’s Champions League, City faced the real threat of missing out on qualification for next season’s competition after a run of just one win in their last four Premier League games — including last Sunday’s 2-2 draw with third placed Arsenal.
That opened the door for local rivals Manchester United to claim fourth place in the league and the final qualification place, until a 3-2 defeat at West Ham on Tuesday handed the initiative back to City.
A draw at Swansea will therefore be enough for Pellegrini to sign off with a place in Europe’s elite club competition intact, to go with the 2014 Premier League title and the two League Cups he has delivered in his three years as City boss.
“You were all thinking we were out, but you must win all of your games, and every game is very difficult,” Pellegrini said.
“After the game on Sunday I was disappointed, especially not winning in front of our own fans, but I was sure United had a difficult task.
“We played very well against Arsenal and deserved to qualify in that moment.”
Since winning the Premier League in Pellegrini’s first season in charge, City’s domestic form has dipped with a second-placed finish last season followed by this season’s struggle to stay in the top four.
But former Real Madrid boss Pellegrini — who says he will consider potential new job offers to stay in management from next week — believes he has been a success at City.
“If you make a summary of the three seasons I was in charge here, we were the team that had the most points, the team that had the best performance from a manager,” he said.
“We are also the team that in each of the three seasons scored the most goals. The goal difference is huge compared to all the other teams.
“It is very important to be the highest scoring team over the three seasons, and to always be in the Champions League, and win three titles.
“I’m happy but you must always think you can do it better.”

Pellegrini eyes Euro berth

AFP, SWANSEA (UK): Manuel Pellegrini ends his reign as Manchester City manager on Sunday with a final opportunity to leave a legacy of Champions League football. Pellegrini takes charge of City for the last time at Swansea before being replaced during the close-season by Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola. Despite reaching the semi-finals of this seasons Champions League, City faced the real threat of missing out on qualification for next seasons competition after a run of just one win in their last four Premier League games including last Sundays 2-2 draw with third placed Arsenal. That opened the door for local rivals Manchester United to claim fourth place in the league and the final qualification place, until a 3-2 defeat at West Ham on Tuesday handed the initiative back to City. A draw at Swansea will therefore be enough for Pellegrini to sign off with a place in Europes elite club competition intact, to go with the 2014 Premier League title and the two League Cups he has delivered in his three years as City boss. You were all thinking we were out, but you must win all of your games, and every game is very difficult, Pellegrini said. After the game on Sunday I was disappointed, especially not winning in front of our own fans, but I was sure United had a difficult task. We played very well against Arsenal and deserved to qualify in that moment. Since winning the Premier League in Pellegrinis first season in charge, Citys domestic form has dipped with a second-placed finish last season followed by this seasons struggle to stay in the top four. But former Real Madrid boss Pellegrini who says he will consider potential new job offers to stay in management from next week believes he has been a success at City. If you make a summary of the three seasons I was in charge here, we were the team that had the most points, the team that had the best performance from a manager, he said. We are also the team that in each of the three seasons scored the most goals. The goal difference is huge compared to all the other teams. It is very important to be the highest scoring team over the three seasons, and to always be in the Champions League, and win three titles. Im happy but you must always think you can do it better.