Pellegrini taunts rival Mourinho over style of play

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has stepped up his war of words with Jose Mourinho by claiming he would never be satisfied to win the Premier League playing in the cautious style of newly crowned champion Chelsea.

Pellegrini's side saw its reign as champion ended on Sunday when Chelsea beat Crystal Palace to secure the points it needed to take the title away from Eastlands.

But, in the latest verbal jousting between two old rivals, Pellegrini refused to accept Chelsea's achievement was worthy of much praise because of the ultra-conservative tactics adopted by Blues boss Mourinho in the second half of the season.

Pellegrini had already accused Mourinho's men of playing with the negativity of a "small team" after its 1-1 draw at Eastlands earlier in the campaign.

And, speaking after his team's 1-0 win at Tottenham on Sunday, he was quick to highlight the more swashbuckling style in which City won the league last season.

"Chelsea won the Premier League and they won the League Cup. We did exactly the same last year, scoring more goals in another style," Pellegrini said.

"It is important for the Premier League and it is important for the fans to play attractive football. That's why I just said we won playing another style.

"I am not thinking about the (13-point) gap (between the clubs). We scored 102 goals in the Premier League last season.

"This team continues as the top scoring team. That side is important, to continue winning in that sense."

Under pressure

Mourinho's team has scored 69 goals in the league, two fewer than City, and Pellegrini's swipe was clearly intended to irritate the Portuguese coach, who has been angered at continued accusations Chelsea is boring to watch.

But aiming a few barbs at Mourinho won't keep the spotlight from switching to Pellegrini's future with City in the final weeks of the season.

Sergio Aguero's first-half winner at White Hart Lane effectively guaranteed second-placed City will qualify for the Champions League next season but that was the very minimum expected by the club's Abu Dhabi-based owners.

Pellegrini's failure to establish City as a force in Europe - it bowed out in the last 16 of the Champions League after scraping through the group stage - and its less than convincing league form has prompted numerous reports the Chilean might be sacked in the close-season.

Bayern Munich's Pep Guardiola and Borussia Dortmund's Juergen Klopp have already been touted as potential replacements.

Asked if he was concerned about losing his job, Pellegrini said: "I'm not going to answer that question. It is important for this club to improve, but you have to understand you cannot always beat the other important clubs like Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool.

"It's important to finish as near the top as possible and then we will analyze what happened and what we need to do."

Meanwhile, Mauricio Pochettino said Tottenham's eighth defeat in its past nine meetings with City was a potentially fatal blow to his side's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.

The sixth-placed north Londoners are now seven points behind fourth placed Manchester United, with only three games remaining, and is likely to have to settle for a Europa League berth

"We are sixth in the table and have three games to play. We needed to get the three points today to get closer to Manchester United," Pochettino said.

(China Daily 05/05/2015 page20)