Pellegrini ready for Man Utd reunion having inflicted Liverpool-style damage
When Manuel Pellegrini saw his Real Betis team draw Manchester United in the Europa League, he may well have been reminded of some happy times during his stint as Manchester City manager.
Two home wins over the Red Devils while West Ham manager were also impressive, but the Chilean's league double over David Moyes' United in 2013-14 was equally memorable. Not least because, at the end of that season, Pellegrini's City were crowned Premier League champions.
Pellegrini won his first three Manchester derbies before results began to tail off towards the end of his tenure. It is that first Old Trafford meeting which catches the eye, though, giving City first blood in the battle for supremacy after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement.
A 4-1 home win for City in September 2013 was comprehensive, but they had claimed big victories over United during Ferguson's days. What's more, a return of just one point from Pellegrini's first three away games - against Cardiff, Stoke and Aston Villa - had begun to look costly heading into the spring.
City were down in third when they travelled to Old Trafford, though they had games in hand on Liverpool and Chelsea above them. United, however, would have loved to derail their rivals' title push and build momentum ahead of their Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich.
Marcel Sabitzer completes Man Utd transfer after last-minute deadline day dash
It was also a battle between two big-money summer signings, with City's £30m man Fernandinho locking horns with Marouane Fellaini after the Belgian's £27.5m United switch. By full-time - well, long before full-time - it was clear there would only be one winner.
Will Real Betis beat Man Utd? Have your say in the comments section
Former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini will take on Man Utd with Real Betis (Jose Breton/AP/REX/Shutterstock)"Hopefully we're starting to pick up and play better," Moyes said before the game, which came hot on the heels of a spirited Champions League comeback against Olympiacos and a league win against West Ham. "We're certainly going into our next game confident and ready to get a result."
It didn't quite work out as planned, though, and there was less than a minute on the clock when City took the lead. Samir Nasri broke free in the United box and slammed his shot against the post, with Edin Dzeko on hand to turn in the rebound. That's how it stayed until the second half, when Dzeko beat Rio Ferdinand to a Nasri corner and volleyed home.
United's centre-back couldn't hide his frustration, though it was hard to tell if it was isolated anger or a wider malaise. Moyes' team, champions under Ferguson the year before, were seventh in the league and unlikely to climb higher.
Fellaini's struggles seemed symbolic of United's issues at the time. The former Standard Liege man followed Moyes to Old Trafford from Everton, while links with Ander Herrera and Thiago failed to bear fruit, and a combination of injury and underwhelming form made him an easy target.
It wasn't just opposition fans taking aim at Fellaini, either. When Moyes took him off for Antonio Valencia midway through the second half, even the home supporters cheered the move.
Marouane Fellaini had an evening to forget (Getty Images)“The criticism didn’t affect me,” Fellaini would later tell The Times. "I care a little bit about what people say, of course, but I also have to put it out of my mind and do my job.
"[That season] we didn’t play well as a team and it was easy for people outside the club to say it was me because the manager had brought me with him, but that was something I had to deal with,” he added.
While Fellaini would later earn cult hero status with sections of the support, the same was not true for Moyes. He was sacked as United manager the following month after less than a year at the helm, with his post-match comments - both after this game and others - failing to endear him to the fanbase.
Man Utd deadline day live updates as Sabitzer completes loan move
"I think we've played a very good side and it's the sort of standard and level we need to try and aspire to get ourselves to at this moment in time," the Scot said of City. "I think we need to play better. We're needing to come up a couple of levels at the moment and we're not quite there."
For City, meanwhile, every point would count en route to the title. Victory at Old Trafford took them up to second and - despite a defeat at Anfield in April leaving them relying on favours from elsewhere - they made sure of the title on the final day of the season.
Manuel Pellegrini won the league in his first Man City season (PA)With the exception of the a pair of League Cup wins, Pellegrini didn't add to that trophy. Now, though, he has a chance to haunt United in fresh surroundings.
Betis won last season's Copa del Rey to book their place in this season's Europa League, and only an Andrea Belotti equaliser for Roma stopped them from posting a perfect record in the group stage. They are also on track to repeat last season's fifth place finish in La Liga, but Champions League qualification remains within reach.
"United have won [the Champions League[, they have a history," Pellegrini told The Guardian ahead of the game. "Betis have that desire but compete from an unfavourable position.
"You can’t compare Betis to United. Even getting the chance to face them is pure hope.”
Unfavourable position or not, Real Betis have a manager who knows what it takes to beat Manchester United. With the visitors coming off a humbling 7-0 defeat at Liverpool, they'll be desperate to prevent another loss against a man who has had their number many times in the past.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
