Manuel Pellegrini was accused by some of coasting to retirement during his time at West Ham United, but it seems the Chilean still has a lot to offer.
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That’s according to respected Spanish publication Marca.
Back in July, seven months after being sacked by West Ham, Pellegrini was appointed manager of La Liga side Real Betis but didn’t take up the post until this season.
Promise of West Ham’s ‘Project Pellegrini’ faded fast
The Chilean was dismissed by West Ham owners David Sullivan and David Gold along with close ally and director of football Mario Husillos at the end of December.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester City boss had overseen a relatively successful first campaign, making several good signings and finishing 10th – level on 52 points with 9th placed Leicester.
But after an excellent start, West Ham struggled in Pellegrini’s second season and he was axed following a 2-1 home defeat to Leicester on December 28th.
Not too long before he was sacked by the Hammers, Pellegrini came out fighting.
He told the press his fundamental task in his bid to improve West Ham was to continue to try and change the club’s mentality.
Pellegrini had identified that West Ham had a small club mentality despite ticking all the big club boxes from income to stadium capacity and fanbase.
In the run up to his departure Pellegrini said it was the inability of the club and his players to match his ambition and big team mentality that was the issue.
Was it a lack of a ‘big club mentality’ or organisation and commitment? Moyes looks to have found the answer
“I think that with 33 years in this profession I know what football is,” Pellegrini said – as reported by the club’s official website – when grilled about his future by the press at the time.
“It was a challenge to come here, and it’s a challenge that I want to win, to try to grow one step more with this club. For me, we try to improve, playing in the way that I like to play football.
“The pressure for me is to have a good team that plays good football in the way we have already demonstrated we can.
“I will continue trying to involve all the club, and the players and myself, in a winning mentality, an ambitious mentality, and try to grow one step more a club that has 60,000 fans behind it every game.”
It seems attitude and organisation plays just as big a role, though, if David Moyes’s tenure is anything to go by since he replaced Pellegrini.
It took some time but Moyes has really got West Ham moving in the right direction.
But the same can be said of Pellegrini at Real Betis.
Marca laud Pellegrini for restoring the faith at ‘one of Spain’s biggest club’
And Marca have lauded the job he is doing in a special feature on one of Spain’s biggest clubs headlined – ‘The glass is half full for Betis under Pellegrini’.
“There are many aspects of the game in which they must improve: defence without the ball, finishing, discipline,” wrote Moran in Marca.
“But the truth is that their record, a quarter of the way into the new season, invites a glass half-full perspective.
“In their first nine league games, Pellegrini’s men have already met Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid. They have also faced Real Sociedad, La Liga leaders, and have visited Getafe’s Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, one of Spain’s most difficult stadiums.
“Los Verdiblancos are on course to achieve 50 points this season, an improvement on Rubi’s record last season and identical to that achieved in Quique Setién’s second year. Should they maintain their improvement, their average should also rise.”
Betis have played nine, won four and lost five under the former West Ham boss.
With 12 points on the board heading into the November international break, they’re eight points off Moyes’s former club Real Sociedad at the top of the La Liga tree.
West Ham fans will certainly take a keen interest in how Pellegrini fares as the season progresses.
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