Can Manuel Pellegrini set the bar high for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City?

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Unemployment after Champions League triumph is a distinct possibility for Manuel Pellegrini if he were to guide Manchester City to their first ever European crown. The Chilean; who took charge at the Etihad in 2013, is two games away from a Champions League final appearance which would ultimately be his last game in charge.

With a good chance of coming face to face with the very man who will replace him, the 62-year-old has lost his place as leader of the pack without even being given the chance to fight the younger wolf bidding for leadership. Victory over PSG meant Manchester City progressed to their first ever Champions League semi-final thanks to Kevin De Bruyne’s blistering late strike. City stuck to their guns by playing the same attacking style that Pellegrini has introduced to this squad and it has earned them a place in Friday’s draw, eventually seeing them being paired with the European giants of Real Madrid. Sergio Aguero was an ever-present force in the game despite missing a penalty in the first half and will surely be the player that Guardiola builds his side around.

One man who looks more and more likely not to be there welcoming Guardiola to the city is Yaya Toure. The Ivorian could be on his way out of Manchester in the summer and the game against PSG proved that City are no longer reliant on the big man. Fernandinho and Fernando were well up for the task in midfield against the French champions and a big summer signing could really spark fear into their opposition. The 6ft 2 Ivorian powerhouse has been the core of Manchester City’s success in recent years but the arrival of the man that sold him to City from Barcelona in 2010 will not be a motive to stay put for the aging player.

City still have work to do in the Premier League to ensure Champions League qualification for next year, but two matches against Real Madrid in the semi-finals gives Pellegrini the chance to set the bar as high as he can for when Guardiola comes in. But will Guardiola even manage to match Pellegrini’s achievements at City? The Spaniard has on both occasions in his managerial career walked into a team already dominating the world with the best players in the world. Albeit, many say the style in which Barcelona played in that era came from Guardiola’s influence, he had Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi to help implement it.

Pellegrini took over a team that had lost its way after Roberto Mancini left, he made them in to title winners once again and people will argue they under-performed in the Champions League, but in 2015 and 2014 they were knocked out by Barcelona, which is nothing to be ashamed off. A major problem at City is the rapidly aging squad, with one of the oldest teams in the Premier League you have to blame the recruitment at the club who have allowed it to get to this stage. Young players have not been brought in and the time of Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri, Pablo Zabaleta and Alexander Kolorov who were all starters when they last won the league are starting to go downhill in their careers.

This is an issue that Guardiola is going to have to tackle if he actually plans to stick around for more than two seasons. Even though he is the most sought-after manager in the world, he is inexperienced in a rebuilding project such as the one at the Etihad. Barcelona and Bayern Munich both are huge clubs with renowned youth academies and long term club structure.

Since Manchester City’s takeover, they could be looked at as a new club still yet to imprint their image on the rest of the world and still way behind bigger English clubs like Liverpool and Manchester United. A possible City vs Bayern final is a mouth-watering prospect. Pellegrini would have the last laugh if he were to defeat his successor, proving he was more than capable of being the man to lead City. It is unclear what the owners will expect of Guardiola, the clubs ambition is to create a legacy and become one of the world’s elite but that does not happen overnight. Unless the former Barcelona coach could persuade a certain little Argentinian to more to the Premier League it is going to be a big task ahead for Pep, one that is going to be far from easy.

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