Bluestevon has definitely done some great work there but Pellegrini's work at City leaves a lot to be desired, I think. The year he won the league, City very, very nearly lost it to a team that conceded over 50 goals, the RS really should have won it but we all know what happened next. I'm not slagging him off for winning the league btw, I just think RS arrogance got him out of jail.
So many of his buys have been average at best, Mangala, Fernando, Bony, Otamendi, Navas etc. All at big, big prices too, and his record at Anfield (something we really need to rectify) is as bad as Martinez. What worries me is with the best budget in the league, he could easily have dominated the PL year after year with no consistent contender, yet they've been out of the Title race since about February.
Is he an upgrade? Definitely, but looking at our current incumbent that's not saying much.
Thing is mate, of those big name players we don't know how many of them had been his choices and hw many have been bought in by those above him at city, who egffectively are Guardiolas people who city have put into place at the club over the last few years to pave the way in for Guardiola - which was always their ultimate goal.
Thats the problem when you look at a team such as City or Mardid, Barca or Chelsea, you are often dealing with clubs that either have DoF or Owners who directly involve themselves in transfers regardless of if the manager wants those players as his first choice.
Some - not all obviously of those signings will undoubtably have been signed off by Guardiola through his connections already at Ciity of that i have absolutely no doubt.
As for the title race - up until the announcement of Guardiola taking over this sumemr they where right in the title race still - 3 points off Leicester, that announcement honestly absolutely killed Cities hopes this season - as could be expected really, would they have won the league should none of that happened - who honestly can say, but i am pretty sure they would still be in the mix right now for the title if it had never happened.
Overall the only way to judge him is to look at each of the clubs he has managed and the expectations and time he had to realise those goals
Villareal - unqualified success, far exceeded anything that he would have been expected to have achieved
Madrid - qualified failiure - best ever points total, best ever goals scored and GD for them, but came second to a unstoppable Guardiola Barca team, one year not enough to know what he could have done in another 2 years time, Mourinho though did no better first season he came tommadrid and got a second season, os have to say he was unfairly treated
Malaga - unqualified success, got a minnow into the CL QF's and had them finishing top end of the league
City - hard to judge, one league title and one cup in two seasons - likely what the powners would have demanded so hit targets, this season undermined so has an excuse in the league, won a minor cup which makes a little bit of diference but in the SF of the CL which if they should win it would turn his time a sa city manager into a massive success IMO, should he fail then you can argue a minor failiure i guess
Overall i can't think of many better managers with his CV and pedigree who we 1. could attract and who 2. already know this league so will not be a risk such as would be with De Boer, Cocu, Emre etc - think martin jol for the ditch guys, or AVB for Emre i guess...
