with love for all the Pelle-haters...
Manuel Pellegrini will be judged as Manchester City manager at the end of the season, believes Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard believes under-fire Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini will face a day of reckoning in the summer.
But the Chelsea legend hailed the Chilean and believes the players should take their share of the responsibility should City end the campaign trophyless.
Premier League champions City are currently six points behind Lampard's former club, who have a game in hand.
And for the second year in a row they exited the Champions League at the last-16 stage with defeat by Barcelona.
The above has led to speculation over Pellegrini's future, although Sportsmail understands that barring a disastrous end to the season which would see them finish outside the top four, his job is safe.
Lampard, who started City's 3-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, thinks the call will be made by the club's Abu Dhabi owners when they launch their annual review at the conclusion of the campaign.
'Judgements will be made at the end of the season and that is fair enough,' he said.
'At the moment I don’t think it is time to look at players, and ask whether this player or that player, or the manager, will be here next year. I think it is too early for that talk. I think that will take place in the summer.'
Lampard, who will join City's MLS club New York City FC at the end of the season, sang Pellegrini's praises.
'I can’t complain at all how he’s been with me,' he said. 'He brought me to the club, he has been a pleasure to work with, and he’s a very good man.
'He’s a very experienced manager, a very good manager, and I don’t think there is any finger-pointing at any individual for the recent form. It is very much a collective thing. I’ve enjoyed working under him.'
Under-pressure Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti and Ajax supremo Frank de Boer have been touted as possible replacements for Pellegrini but Lampard, 36, dismissed claims that such talk was damaging performances.
'No,' he said. 'We’re not stupid. A club like Man City, same as Chelsea, when you have a desire and a responsibility to be fighting at the top of the league year in, year out, I think players and managers are under pressure at all times.
'I don’t think there is much difference there. I certainly never caught up in what might happen to the manager. I think it is irrelevant. You have to look at what you do yourself.'
Lampard, who won three Premier League titles in 13 years at Stamford Bridge, added that City were concentrating on their own performances rather than casting glances at his old club.
'When you are in the position that we are in, where we are behind, I think there is only one thing to do and that is worry about yourself, try and win games and then just see what happens around you.'
Ex-England midfielder Lampard does not believe that Chelsea, who have to play Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool face a tougher run-in than City, who face only United from the top six.
'I don’t believe in hard or easy run-ins because you can never call what is an easy game, particularly in the modern day,' he said.
'Since I’ve been playing the standard of the whole Premier League has improved so I don’t know about the run-ins, they have got an advantage in points, they are a very, very good team and we have to look over our shoulder now because Arsenal and United have slightly closed the gap behind us.'
source
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...anager-end-season-believes-Frank-Lampard.html