Ted Hughes wrote:carl_feedthegoat wrote:This is the best course of action should the following happen:
Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini safe from the sack - as long as they finish as Prem runners-up
22:30, 28 March 2015 By Steve Bates
Top brass not prepared to wield axe just because Blues aren't as good as Champions League nemesis Barca - but if they are overtaken by Arsenal or Man United....
Every second counts: Finishing behind only Chelsea will keep Pellegrini at Man City
Manuel Pellegrini will only face the sack by Manchester City this summer if his reigning Premier League champions finish outside the top two, writes Steve Bates in the Sunday People.
That's the scenario facing the City boss with the Blues' Abu Dhabi owners deciding to stick with Chilean coach Pellegrini next season - unless there's an end of season meltdown over the remaining eight games.
While disappointed at an unconvincing league season, Pellegrini is unlikely to be sacked if he guides his expensively assembled stars to second place.
Finishing third would, however, trigger an uncomfortable inquest for the South American and his job would be under severe threat if Arsenal or Manchester United pipped City to second place.
Anything less than a top three finish would mean instant dismissal for Pellegrini, who is more likely to be judged on the Premier League campaign rather than events in the Champions League.
How the top of the table stands:
P W D L GF GA GD Pts
Chelsea 29 20 7 2 61 25 +36 67
Manchester City 30 18 7 5 62 28 +34 61
Arsenal 30 18 6 6 58 31 +27 60
Manchester United 30 17 8 5 52 27 +25 59
Senior City sources insist the club's hierarchy have no appetite to ditch Pellegrini on the basis of another Champions League failure.
Having been knocked out of Europe in successive seasons by Barcelona, senior City officials believe there is no fair benchmark against which to place the team's failure once they have got past the group stage.
And that situation is likely to allow Pellegrini another crack at the competition if City maintain a serious pursuit of Chelsea until the end of the season.
With Pep Guardiola unlikely to quit Bayern Munich just yet, City maintain Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone, who has just signed a new five-year deal, was never an option if they do decide to make a change.
And they also claim Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid doesn't fit the club's blueprint.
With Patrick Vieira unlikely to be asked to step up from his work with City's Elite Development Squad and the club's Academy set-up, Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers - a past target - would be on their radar.
Having committed so heavily to his work at Anfield, it would take a change in his relationship with Boston-based owner John W Henry to force Rodgers out.
And that leaves City with no obvious successor if Pellegrini's side run into trouble in the closing games of the season.
What that piece points out, is that there are very few obvious candidates better than Pellegrini.
SAF o come out of retirement?
