Manchester City can still win the Champions League, says Pellegrini
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Version 0 of 1. Manuel Pellegrini believes Manchester City could go on and win the Champions League despite his team claiming only two points so far in the group phase. Wednesday night’s game is a defining moment of City’s campaign as they host CSKA Moscow requiring victory to retain control of their own destiny, with Roma two points ahead in second place. The nine points of Internazionale, in the 2009-10 competition, is the lowest total of any eventual winner of the trophy and the manager believes City can emulate José Mourinho’s side from that season. “There are teams that qualify with few points and then after that they won the Champions League. Of course our target is always to try and win the Champions League,” said Pellegrini. “We must put in our mind that we are able to do it, that we have a good squad. Maybe there are also five or six squads better than our squad or the same level that also want to do it but with a winning mentality and an ambitious mind, you must always think you can do it. I think we have time to prove it.” The club executives want City to make progress this season which means the quarter-finals at least, after Pellegrini led the club to the last 16 last term. Put to him that to be knocked out in the current phase would represent a heavy setback, he said: “It is very important [to progress] because I think this team are doing very well here in domestic games. In the last three years we won two Premier Leagues and one runner-up and won two cups also, the FA Cup and the League Cup. So now you must add Champions League games. As you said, we did last year one stage more than the others. I hope that this year we are going to continue improving.” With Roma travelling to the Group E leaders, Bayern Munich, Pellegrini does not believe City’s encounter with CSKA is sudden death. “No, I think it is a very important game but it is not a death game because until mathematics [make it impossible], you can continue. But it is a very important game. We must win this game because we have just two points and we have three games to play.” After CSKA, City host Bayern then travel to Roma in early December for what may prove to be the decider. “It will depend what the other teams do also. It is impossible to be sure but I think this group will be decided in the last game in Italy against Roma,” Pellegrini said. “We will see what happens. We are going to try to win our two games at home and see what the other teams do but I am sure this will be decided in the last game.” Despite patchy home form this season, including a draw with Roma, Pellegrini denied the team are unsure on their own turf. “No, I don’t agree with that conclusion. We have to play three games more,” he said. “This year, all the games we had to play against big teams, we didn’t lose in one of them. We drew with Chelsea and Arsenal in the league, we beat Tottenham and Man United.” One move open to Pellegrini to try and reinvigorate the under-performing Yaya Touré – and City’s prospects – might be to push the Ivorian further up into a No10 role. But, again, Pellegrini batted away the proposition. “It is an option because Yaya can do it also but I repeat once again you are always trying to change Yaya in the way he plays or the position he plays and he is one of the best players of our team,” he said before hinting that Fernandinho would start. “But of course it is an option because Fernandinho can do both [types of] games, he can be a defensive midfielder or an offensive midfielder. It is an option and maybe in some games we will use it.” Fernandinho has not been at his best this season, though he denied this was due to a hangover from Brazil’s 7-1 hammering by Germany in the World Cup semi-final. “I think it is past already,” said the 29-year-old. “I felt very bad for two weeks, the first month after the World Cup, but when I came back to Manchester City I just put my head to the Premier League and Champions League and the World Cup stays in the past.” Pellegrini will be without Aleksandar Kolarov because of the injury he suffered in Sunday’s pre-derby warm-up though Eliaquim Mangala is available and may start alongside Vincent Kompany. “Mangala has just stiffness in his thigh so he is in the squad list. Kolarov has a muscle injury in his calf so he will be [out for] at least one month. Well, I am not a doctor but I suppose that. Frank [Lampard], I think he will be fit next week,” said the City manager. |