Calls for Manuel Pellegrini to Leave Manchester City Ignore His Work so Far

The disappointment inside the Etihad Stadium at full time on Saturday was palpable. Although City had snatched a last-minute equaliser against Hull City, it was a result which left them seven points adrift of leaders Chelsea with just 14 games of the Premier League season to play. The defence of their title is on the verge of collapse.

As ever in the reactionary world of football, there were some City fans directing their anger and disgust in the direction of the manager, Manuel Pellegrini, with a few suggesting he should now be sacked.

It’s an absurd stance and one that ignores much of what the Chilean has achieved since his arrival at City. Pellegrini, the first City manager to work under any kind of financial restraints since the takeover of the club in 2008, delivered two major trophies in his debut season in charge, the first in the club’s history to achieve such a feat.

Jon Super/Associated Press

With that success came a wonderful brand of free-flowing football, the kind of attacking verve Kevin Keegan has always been an advocate of but with added defensive steel to ensure enough wins to deliver silverware. Considering Pellegrini had taken over a divided, unhappy squad, it was a wonderful season for the club and the manager himself, who hadn’t won a major trophy as a manager in Europe prior to his arrival in east Manchester.

He didn’t receive the credit he deserved, cruelly overlooked by the LMA at their end-of-season award ceremony, with Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers the media darlings throughout much of the campaign. Quite what a manager has to do to win the Manager of the Season award is unclear, given Pellegrini’s Premier League and League Cup wins didn’t even ensure him a place on the shortlist. What's more, Tony Pulis took the Premier League-specific award, meaning Pellegrini was left bereft of a proper accolade for a double-winning campaign.

Like the media and the English football scene at large, some sections of City’s support have never really taken to Pellegrini. He has a bland media persona, a far cry from that of his predecessor, Roberto Mancini. Where Mancini was charming and charismatic, Pellegrini is beige and a somewhat uninspiring orator. 

That has created a landscape on which criticism of Pellegrini can sometimes be knee-jerk, too abrupt and vicious given his already-illustrious time at the club. That’s not to say he’s infallible—he has his flaws, some of which are contributing to his side’s current malaise—but fair criticism is different from calling for his dismissal.

Pellegrini has less than 18 months left on his current deal, and the idea he will extend seems unlikely, given his advancing years. Pep Guardiola’s contract at Bayern Munich will expire at the same time, and with him being so admired by some of the decision-makers inside the City boardroom, it would hardly be a surprise if they look to upgrade.

Indeed, Patrick Vieira, manager of City’s Elite Development Squad, is another candidate who has been clearly earmarked by the club as a potential manager of the future.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Pellegrini was the right man at the right time, there to steady what had become a somewhat turbulent club and bring back the freedom to allow the players to perform. He fitted—and still fits—the bill nicely. He plays attractive football, works seamlessly under a director of football and rarely brings the club into any disrepute with his comments to the media. It’s a far cry from the dying embers of Mancini’s time in charge, which threatened, at times, to descend into farce.

Pellegrini deserves the time and respect to right the wrongs of the current situation. His record at City, for the most part, is very impressive, with this current six-week run of poor form the first extended negative period during his tenure. To react with calls for his sacking is premature at best, and hysterical and lacking respect at worst.

He's the right man to see City through this season and next, unless a replacement who can genuinely offer improvement becomes available, which seems unlikely given there aren't many better suited to City's current structure than Pellegrini himself.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.