Manuel Pellegrini deserves credit for delivering under pressure... but he's got a long way to go to prove he's the right man for the job at Manchester City
Man City should have won their last three games given their resources
They beat Swansea, Bayern Munich reserves and Southampton
Manuel Pellegrini did well under pressure to get three good results
He still has a long way to go to prove that he deserves the job at Man City
By ADRIAN DURHAM FOR MAILONLINE
Ten days ago Manuel Pellegrini’s grey hair was going even greyer. Out came the Grecian 2000, mixed in with some jet black boot polish, and all of a sudden the City boss and his team are looking lively again! He’s proved his critics, including me, wrong.
Well, sort of.
It could all be temporary, of course.
Honestly, ask yourself this: should Mancheser City with the players they have, the recent years of success and the resources at the disposal be winning the three games they’ve just won? Yes of course!
It’s no shock that City beat Swansea, Bayern Munich’s 10-man reserve team, and Southampton.
By now, City should be standing tall alongside the very best in Europe. Pellegrini’s great escape from Champions League Group E will be looked on as something special. But they shouldn’t have got themselves into this mess in the first place.
The best defenders aren’t those who always end up making last-ditch tackles, they’re the ones who don’t get themselves into trouble at all.
And at the very top level the same applies to managers.
But what Pellegrini has proved this week is that he can deliver under pressure.
A City-supporting friend of mine spoke with me before the Swansea fixture, and said if they lost two of the forthcoming three games then the manager should go. Pellegrini knew that two defeats would almost certainly mean City were out of the only competitions Sheikh Mansour is interested in winning – the Champions League and the Premier League.
Things couldn’t have gone better: Roma drew in Russia, Bayern played a weakened side and had a man sent off, Sergio Aguero turned it on at just the right time, City won all three games, and even Chelsea dropped points.
It could be the week that transforms City’s season. In fact it should be.
But they still have a tough task in the Champions League, and they are still six points behind Chelsea at the top of the table.
And that’s the problem for Pellegrini. He’s had a terrific week, but he can hardly wave it in the faces of us critics because City are still some way off where they should be this season.
A tough week for Pellegrini to come through and he deserves credit, but let’s not get carried away – he’s got a lot of work to do before he proves he is the right manager to take Manchester City to where the owners want them to be – dominating domestically and in Europe.
Manchester United are on the brink of something special again thanks to manager Louis van Gaal... he's even making Chris Smalling look good!
Manchester United's critics have been out in force this season
But they are living off two results - defeats to Leicester and MK Dons
United's start was never going to be smooth after the troubles last season
Louis van Gaal may be on the brink of something special at Old Trafford
By ADRIAN DURHAM FOR MAILONLINE
You can tell Manchester United are on the brink of being very special again. How? Easy - people have started clutching at straws just lately, desperate to criticise Louis van Gaal’s side.
After Wayne Rooney was sent off against West Ham earlier this season a Twitter rumour started that the Manchester United and England captain had got himself red carded deliberately because he had a private plane waiting, and he needed to depart early for some sort of celebrity social event that evening.
Another rumour started that Rooney had fallen out with Robin van Persie, and that’s why they weren’t playing well together for United.
Well I was at Old Trafford that day when United beat the Hammers 2-1, and at around 6pm, long after the final whistle, both Rooney and van Persie were suited up, on the pitch, playing football with their children and seemingly having a great time together.
So that killed both of those nonsense rumours at once.
It’s interesting that people seem desperate to criticise and bring down Manchester United.
Another example: I’m forever being told that Radamel Falcao was a bad signing. If United had paid £50m for him and given him a six-year contract then the critics might have a point. But his injury record isn’t great so that’s why United only signed him on loan; a shrewd move.
Despite not arriving at the club until the World Cup was over, and despite an injury list that would leave Florence Nightingale in pieces, Van Gaal put together a team that faltered for the first couple of months of the season, but entertained us royally in flashes.
It was never going to be smooth. Think about the wreckage of last season. Backroom staff decimated, morale low, players left, others struggled for confidence and form, and United were awful to watch.
I always speak to fans when I go to games up and down the country, and the general consensus at United is that this season, despite a few poor results, the football under van Gaal is a significant improvement from last season, and the fans are happy with that.
There are two results that United’s critics seem to be living off – the 5-3 defeat at Leicester and the 4-0 reverse at MK Dons.
United were brilliant at Leicester until an inexplicable decision from Mark Clattenburg gave Leicester a penalty and United crumbled. But people read way too much into that game; they even said it showed Leicester will be fine in the Premier League this season. As I write this they are bottom and haven’t won a game since they beat United. The problems United suffered that day are easily rectified, but critics were too quick to forget how spectacular the football was that took them into a 3-1 lead.
As for the defeat in Milton Keynes, of the five senior players who started that game, three have left (Javier Hernandez, Danny Welbeck and Shinji Kagawa) and Anderson hasn’t started a game since. It was a game van Gaal used to find out more about some of his senior professionals. He probably wasn’t expecting such a beating, but the Capital One Cup wasn’t high on his priority list this season.
So United now find themselves in the top four despite so many people saying they have wasted a load of money and are poor.
The worrying thing for the United haters is that they keep improving. I’m sure there will be dips and they will come unstuck in some matches but just take a look at the last two games.
Van Gaal totally out-coached Arsene Wenger with a game plan that earned three points at Arsenal, and then destroyed inferior opposition with some breathtaking football against Hull.
Wayne Rooney and Angel di Maria are in brilliant form; Michael Carrick’s control and passing are being trusted again; David de Gea is currently the best keeper in the Premier League.
With even more improvement, and maybe more signings to come in January, the Premier League has a lot to fear from Manchester United.
Van Gaal is a man who looks you in the eye when he talks to you and answers your questions. His press conferences are informative and entertaining – he speaks to the fans through the media, which is exactly what should happen. I admire his sincerity.
And I even like the way he approached his criticism of the festive schedule in England. He said it isn’t good for players who have families, but then added: ‘I have to adapt, and I shall adapt.’
As much as the United-haters loved last season, they are beginning to dislike this campaign, with United showing signs they are on their way back.
They are a joy to watch at times, and if they can get the injury list down and add consistency to their undoubted quality, Van Gaal may be on the brink of producing something extra special at Old Trafford.
This manager is even making Chris Smalling look good, so anything is possible.
