Pellegrini's Spirited Defence Ignores the Extent of Manchester City's Regression

One of the primary concerns as Manchester City’s season has limped to an unsatisfactory close has been the inability of Manuel Pellegrini to rouse his side in a time of need.

The anemic performance away at Burnley springs immediately to mind, as does the collapse at Old Trafford, where City were well-beaten in the Manchester derby. The sight of the City boss, immaculately clad in a fitted white shirt and designer suit, yet incapable of galvanising his side with either a tactical change or a moment of passion, has been worrying for the club’s fans and, presumably, the owners. 

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Which is why his recent comments, reported by Richard Jolly in the Guardian, suggesting City’s season hasn’t been a failure will be seen by some as a weak response to a challenging situation.

He said:

"

If we finish in seventh place without [qualifying for] Europe, I understand [the criticism]. I appreciate that you think the only team that must win the title is City.

It is impossible for any club to progress always. We cannot win trophies every year. It is impossible, especially this year. You have another five teams that are as strong as your team. This year Arsenal spend more money, Chelsea spend more money, United spend more money and Liverpool spend more money, so if for some reason we don’t finish second, I don’t think it is a shame. 

I understand that for the media the only thing this team must do is to win everything: every championship and every game because the other teams are very weak, they don’t have good players and they don’t have money.

I don’t think that we are better than Barcelona. You think we must be frustrated because we are eliminated by Messi, Neymar, Suárez, Iniesta, Busquets. It is an important level.

"

To an extent, Pellegrini’s assertions are correct. The City fans and owners are a realistic set of people. They understand quite clearly that winning the Premier League title every year is an unrealistic expectation, that the path to becoming a consistent European superpower is an arduous one, full of potholes that can throw things off course.

His argument that the expectations placed on City by the media are unfair when compared to their rivals may also have some credence. When City play well, like they did last season, not much noise is made, yet when things begin to falter, there's external pressure placed on the club almost immediately. 

The fact that Pellegrini was overlooked for the LMA Manager of the Year is a case in point. The Chilean wasn't even on the short list despite a league and cup double in his debut season in English football. That, by any measure, is unfair and unsurprisingly seems to have irked the City boss. 

However, what Pellegrini’s latest assessment misses is the nature of City’s regression this season. They have scored less goals, exited both domestic cup competitions to far weaker sides and lost league points to a series of sides they should be beating comfortably. It’s been a desperately poor title defence, with City very rarely hitting their best. Given the quality he has at his disposal, it simply hasn't been good enough. 

Having come from eight points behind Chelsea to draw level with them at the turn of the year, their 2015 results have been catastrophic, full of disjointed, insipid displays.

Saturday's lacklustre performance against Aston Villa may have been enough to see City take three points and move back into second place, for the time being at least, and was significant in terms of their top-four credentials, but it did little to allay the fears that this squad is in need of a revamp and, perhaps, a new manager. 

Pellegrini did a remarkable job in his first season and is a manager whose CV deserves far greater respect than he seems to get, and it would hardly be a surprise if he was given the opportunity to remain in charge next season and prove this one has been a blip caused, to some extent, by financial restrictions.

Comments like these, though, which appear to suggest the season has been acceptable, aren't exactly inspiring. 

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.