Guardiola to replace Pellegrini as Manchester City manager

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Monday, February 1, 2016

Manchester-based football club Manchester City today announced their current manager Manuel Pellegrini will remain only to this season's end. Former FC Barcelona and current Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola is to replace the Chilean next season.

File photo of Pep Guardiola
Image: Thomas Rodenbücher.
He is one of the best managers in the world, no doubt about this.

—Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool manager

Pellegrini joined City in 2013 and under him they have won the Premier League and the League Cup. Guardiola, winner of two Bundesliga titles and one German Cup with the German giants Munich, and a two-time Champions League winner with Barcelona, has signed a three-year contract with Manchester City. Guardiola also won four La Liga titles with Barcelona, winning fourteen trophies with them in total in four years and making him their most successful manager. He has suffered just nineteen managerial defeats in 239 league matches.

Pellegrini has managed 64 victories out of 99 games in the Premier League — only José Mourinho has a better record from his first 99 Premier League matches. Manchester City are currently second in the league table and in the fifth round of the FA Cup. Pellegrini was, the announcement noted, in full support of announcing the change.

Former Manchester City player Trevor Sinclair, in remarks to BBC Radio, said "He's the hottest manager out there. Every club would want him." Liverpool F.C. manager Jürgen Klopp, who previously coached Munich rivals Borussia Dortmund, praised Guardiola saying "He is one of the best managers in the world, no doubt about this. [...] Pep won everything in Spain, nearly everything in Germany, so I think he wants to win everything in England, that is clear."

On December 20, Bayern Munich announced Guardiola would be replaced by former Real Madrid and Chelsea F.C. manager Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian has won three Champions League titles in his coaching career.

Sources