Champions Manchester City concede their title without much of a fight in the next season, we have heard this story before.

The first time it happened, we saw Roberto Mancini suffer by losing his job. Talk is rife that current City boss Manuel Pellegrini could now be facing a similar fate.

Sunday’s Manchester derby against Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United could go along way in deciding the Chilean’s future.

A City win will see them leapfrog United back into the top three. A convincing win at the home of their rivals could give the Man City squad the confidence needed to finish the season well and secure second spot (a place they’ve held for the most part of the season).

Getting a strong victory at Old Trafford and Pellegrini once again getting the upper hand over Van Gaal, could be enough to convince the City owners that the the sixty-one year old deserves another year in charge at the Etihad.

But the task of beating the ‘Red Devils’ could be a tough one.

Much like the Sir Alex Ferguson teams of the past, Van Gaal’s men are finding their form in the last stretch of the seasons.

Former Champions League place rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool have come unstuck against United in recent weeks. In their seven league fixtures against the other top six clubs this term, United have only lost once (To City at the Etihad).

At the start of the campaign, Man Utd looked confused under Louis’ regime but things have started to click and they are starting to look extremely difficult to break down.

The team is more structured and balanced. Captain Wayne Rooney is flying and players like Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera have finally come to the party.

With Danny Blind moving to left-back and Phil Jones starting to shine in the centre, United’s recent defence displays have also vastly improved. In David de Gea they have a goalie preforming heroics in between the sticks.

At City it couldn’t be more different.

The star players are struggling to find form and the defence no longer looks strong, although Joe Hart has had a fine season in goal.

This Man City team always seem close to just giving up when things go against them.

A United win on Sunday could spell the beginning of the end for Pellegrini. I can’t see Sheikh Mansour accepting anything other than second place this term and he might not even accept that!

To think United finished a massive twenty-four points and six places behind the ‘Sky Blues’ last year, and now they’ve already caught up. That will hurt all those involved with City.

The fact is they missed a big chance to step up and move further away from their rivals. As with the title win in 2011-12, they club failed to supplement their winning squad with added special personnel. This squad no longer has the hunger to challenge at the top.

For that reason, CEO Ferran Soriano and Director of Football Txiki Begiristain could also be heading for the exit door. Last summers transfer activity wasn’t good enough and that falls down at their door!

The squad has plenty of talented players that seem to be in a rut and they too could be on the look out for new clubs come the close season.

Even superb stalwarts Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure have fallen way short of their own excellent standards.

A major squad overhaul is due this summer, whatever happens between now and the end of the season.

Pellegrini has said as much…

‘You must try always to improve your squad. I’m talking about all big teams, not especially Manchester City.’

I have sympathy for Manuel Pellegrini. Effectively he’s a head coach and that position relies on you having strong support from those above you and having the right mentality from your squad of players. This season he’s been let down by both the team and the administration.

But unfortunately for the Chilean, there will be no sympathy from Manchester United on Sunday and a defeat will see Pellegrini live on borrowed time.

So its up to the Manchester City squad to find one more magical derby performance and secure a win that gives their boss a fighting chance!

Posted on April 10th, 2015 by scott
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