Pellegrini emphasis on playing beautiful football

MANCHESTER: Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini on Wednesday revealed his reputation for producing teams that win with style was the key to his appointment at Eastlands.

City's Abu Dhabi-based owners opted to hire Pellegrini from Malaga as their replacement for Roberto Mancini despite the possibility of an approach for Jose Mourinho.

Mancini won the Premier League title and the FA Cup during his three-and-a-half year spell in charge of City, but the Italian was criticised for playing too defensively before his sacking in May.

Mourinho, who eventually rejoined Chelsea from Real Madrid, follows a similar tactical template and Pellegrini was quick to make it clear he plans to win plaudits as well as prizes. "One of the important reasons I am here is the way my other teams always played," the Chilean said at a press conference on Wednesday. "I think fans of Manchester City will see a different way to their play in the other years. "I am sure we are going to play an attractive game. We will always try to play in the opposite side, being an attacking team, doing what all the other teams I worked with before did. "That's why I am here doing it now with Manchester City."

City underperformed in the Champions League under Mancini where they failed to get out of the competition's group stage in two attempts.
Yet Pellegrini indicated that he has not been given specific instructions to place greater importance on success in Europe than the Premier League. "For me it is exactly the same. We don't have a priority for one competition," Pellegrini explained. "We know we have to improve in the future what Man City have done in the past few years in the Champions League. But also the Premier League is important. We will try to do our best in both competitions. "I think the Premier League is as important as the Champions League. I know the last two years of Man City was not very good playing in the Champions League and we will try to improve. "But that is not the only thing for this year. I will try to take another trophy of the Premier League. "When Manchester City won the Premier League, it was one of the most important things for the club, we will try to repeat that."

City's bitter rivals Manchester United finished 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League last season before Alex Ferguson subsequently announced his retirement.

David Moyes replaced Ferguson at Old Trafford, but Pellegrini, who knocked then Everton manager Moyes out of the Champions League during his time at Villarreal, does not think it will be any easier to wrestle the title back with Ferguson out of the way. "No. I think it will be the same, as difficult as if Sir Alex had been here," he said. "I am sure David Moyes will do very well and Jose Mourinho at Chelsea knows everything about the Premier League. It will be a very competitive Premier League and five or six teams will try to win it. "I think here in the Premier League we have Manchester United, we have Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham. "Five or six teams are always trying to win the Premier League and I will try to win with Man City, but it's not easy."
Pellegrini also refused to comment directly on the futures of England internationals Gareth Barry and Joleon Lescott, who both have a year left on their contracts.

The pair have been linked with moves away from City and Pellegrini confirmed he will speak to them among others concerning the roles they have to play at the club. "In the next week we will see on differing situations with different players we have at the moment," he said. "I will speak with Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City sporting director) and with all the players also to see what they want." (AFP)