Manchester City: Creating Manuel Pellegrini's 2015 Summer Blueprint

It seems almost certain Manuel Pellegrini will face a review of his position at Manchester City come the end of the season. This campaign has been one of regression—frustrating defeats in the Premier League to lesser lights that have highlighted City’s inconsistencies and disastrous domestic cup defeats.

Five straight wins may have steered City into calmer waters as we approach the final day of the season, but the quality of their season has not been good enough. A defeat to Manchester United in April had left them in danger of missing out on automatic Champions League qualification, a downgrade, certainly, on expectations coming into the campaign.

Pellegrini could yet pay with his job, but there’s a growing feeling the club are prepared to stick by their man and allow him to see out the final year of his contract. Pep Guardiola is surely their first choice to take over from the Chilean and become their next long-term appointment, but given his current status, which is thought to be unavailable, it would make sense to remain calm and keep Pellegrini in charge.

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There’s still a lot of goodwill and respect for Pellegrini in the Etihad boardroom. His achievements in his first season at City, and, indeed, his time in La Liga with Villarreal and Malaga, have not been forgotten. And, anyway, without a suitable replacement lined up, it would be foolish to cut him adrift. 

Carlo Ancelotti remains a possible replacement this summer, but with the club looking for their next appointment to be in place for years to come, overseeing every level of the club, he, perhaps, doesn’t fit the bill.

So what does Pellegrini need to do to ensure an improvement if he does remain in charge?

Firstly, the form of his existing centre-backs needs addressing. Given the club spent £32 million on Eliaquim Mangala (more, if some reports are to be believed), they’re unlikely to try and replace him so soon, and given he’s shown signs of real improvement, there’ll be a desire to get the best out of him during the next season.

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@pickles0303 he cost £42m. £24m to Porto, £14m to agent, £4m to former club Standard Liege. Total outlay £42m. Why are you in denial?

— David McDonnell (@DiscoMirror) April 14, 2015"

His physical attributes are all there. Pace, power and athleticism make him a potentially excellent defender, but his rashness and lack of awareness have, at times, undermined his quality.

It’s not helped that Vincent Kompany, the City captain and the man Mangala is supposed to partner in the coming years, has been so woefully out of form. Pellegrini and his coaching staff must find a way of making them work as a pairing.

Perhaps they are too similar in style. Both are proactive rather than reactive defenders, preferring to make tackles and interceptions early as apposed to backing off and waiting for a forward to turn. Whatever it is, their partnership has looked anything but secure, with Martin Demichelis, 34, currently the most reliable defender City have.

The need to sign a genuinely world-class player is also evident. Since the signing of Sergio Aguero in 2011, City haven’t added a stellar name to their squad. Garry Cook may have been seen as a gaffe-prone rent-a-mouth by many, but his desire to sign the world’s best and upset the cozy elite-club establishment won him admirers in East Manchester. City, it's fair to say, no longer appear to have the same ambition in the transfer market and that needs to change. 

Whereas Roberto Mancini was handed Carlos Tevez, Yaya Toure, David Silva and Aguero—all bona fide top-class stars—Pellegrini hasn’t been afforded the luxury of one of a mood-altering signing. 

It’s something he spoke at length about in an interview with Sid Lowe for the Guardian back in March. It was a clever piece of posturing from Pellegrini. It was a way of defending his record, which has come under intense scrutiny, and putting pressure on Txiki Begiristain, the club’s sporting director, to deliver a big-name player this summer.

Pellegrini calls them “crack” players, the kind that bring undeniable quality and provide a boost to the players already at the club, raising the profile of the team across the world.

"[Last summer] We brought Willy Caballero to give Joe Hart competition; Mangala, who’s 23 and will be an important player; Fernando because Javier García wanted to go; Sagna because Micah Richards was always injured. What we didn’t do was sign a crack [superstar]," he said.

"The way it’s growing, I think this team needs a crack. We need a crack: that gives you a kind of ascendancy, status."

One possible “crack” is Paul Pogba, the 22-year-old Juventus midfielder establishing himself as one of the finest talents in European football. City are likely to make him a top priority, but with Europe’s superpowers surely set to make their interest known, they may have to step aside.

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It’s happened before in recent memory. The club wanted Robin Van Perise but had to move over because he wanted to play for Manchester United, and Isco was lined up when Pellegrini came in, only for Real Madrid to lure him to the Bernabeu.

Pogba would be ideal, though. City’s midfield needs new direction, and alongside Toure he would thrive. In fact, he’s arguably the only young player in world football who looks capable of replacing Toure, 32, in the long run, which makes his an absolute priority signing. Marco Verratti, the Paris Saint Germain midfielder, is another who would excel at City and give them added dynamism in midfield. 

Pellegrini also needs to add pace to his side, a ball-carrier who can commit players and create space for his teammates. Aguero remains explosive over the first few yards, and Jesus Navas offers a constant outlet on the right-hand side. The Spaniard, though, isn’t quite of the level City need in their first XI and he needs replacing as a regular starter, excellent squad player though he may be. 

The obvious candidate would be Raheem Sterling, Liverpool’s 20-year-old winger who looks capable of having a hugely successful career at the very top of the game. He’s far from the finished article, but there are very few other players of his age who have impressed as much as he has.

He ticks every box. He has pace to burn, is young and hungry, would fit into a side looking to play an open, attacking style of football and he is considered home-grown. Given his contract wrangle, which will see him ask for a move in the next transfer window, as reported by the BBC, it would hardly be a surprise if City made a move.

And with Stevan Jovetic surely on his way out of the Etihad after two injury-affected and desperately underwhelming seasons, along with Edin Dzeko, whose six goals in all competitions this term have cast doubt on his future, perhaps a new striker will emerge, too. 

The club signed Wilfried Bony in January and Pellegrini will be expecting big things from him next season after a stop-start beginning to his City career, but another forward will be needed should Jovetic and Dzeko leave.

Alexandre Lacazette is being monitored, according to Simon Bajkowski writing in the Manchester Evening News, and his record this season speaks for itself. Awarded the prestigious French Player of the Year award, he's scored 27 league goals this season and has established himself as one of Ligue 1's hottest prospects. Again, he ticks the boxes for City. 

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If Pellegrini can fine-tune some of the existing issues in his squad and add the right kind of young, hungry players outlined here, City will surely be capable of a more aggressive title challenge in 2016 than the one they mustered this season. 

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.