Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini acknowledged that changes must be made to his side’s starting line-up against Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup on Saturday. The Blues go into the game on the back of a 12 game unbeaten run, with 9 of those games in December alone, so the Chilean understands that key players will need a rest.
“We are going to make changes, because we are playing too often in the last weeks.
“We are going to try to have a good squad and try to win our first FA Cup game, because for our team it is an important competition.”
City have rarely found themselves with a completely fit squad, and the 60-year old manager revealed the extent of recent fixtures with his injury list, stating that “Sergio Aguero, Martin Demichelis, Micah Richards, Stevan Jovetic and Jack Rodwell are all injured.”
Jack Rodwell, who arrived at the beginning of the 2011/12 season from Everton, has struggled to maintain fitness and has never managed to anchor his place in the team – whether it is a hamstring injury or the form of his teammates, such as Yaya Toure and Fernandinho. The Englishman himself revealed in early December that he is “still growing” and that over the last year, he has grown “one or two inches”, indicating that his disappointing injuries have come as a result of his body “maturing”.
“Jack today had some problems with his hamstring. We will see tomorrow how serious it is. Maybe it is a small thing, but for tomorrow he is not fit.”
The game at Ewood Park will be Pellegrini’s first FA Cup experience. However, he was quick to illustrate his thoughts on the competition, as well as setting his intentions for the FA Cup – the competition that former boss Roberto Mancini ultimately lost his job for after losing in the final to Wigan in early 2013, despite famously winning the trophy two years prior.
“It’s an important competition and we want to win.
Pellegrini also admitted that his squad has a lot of depth, and while this is advantageous for him as a manager, it also comes at a cost for less important players.
“I just talked with the players that it is an important test for us, not only for the team but also for individual performances - maybe for some players that have the chance to play now in the FA Cup.”
The Chilean embraced some English culture in his pre-match interview, citing the FA Cup to be “important” and “traditional”.
“It is a very important and very traditional cup here in England and I repeat what I said about the Capital One Cup. I know it’s not the same cup, but both finish in Wembley and I think to finish in Wembley with a final, it is important for every team.”
Blackburn Rovers’ last win over City was back in September 2007, but Pellegrini insisted that both he and his players will approach the game in the same way as any other.
“I repeat from the beginning of the season, we are going to play in every competition with exactly the same importance.
“It will be a difficult game. If we think that because we are in Premier League and they are in the Championship that we are going to win, I think it’s an important mistake.
“I think all the teams playing at home are very difficult. Maybe Blackburn is not in the best moment or in the Championship, but I think that playing at home and playing against us, they will be very motivated and try to win.
Building on his pre-season promise of “attacking” and “attractive” football, Pellegrini stated that his players must play with “concentration, intensity and with the tempo we need if we want to win.”
The first couple of days in January have brought the expected transfer rumours and media speculation, but when asked about the future of defender Joleon Lescott, Pellegrini responded professionally, adding:
“Joleon Lescott is a very important player for us. I understand the he finishes his contract in June here, but we will see what happens in the future.
“But for the moment, he is still here and I repeat that he is a very useful player for our team.
“At this moment we are not considering it. We will see in the future during the transfer window what will happen.”
Another potential departure from the club – though temporary – is the possibility of a loan for young striker John Guidetti. The 21-year old has been suffered from several virus and injury issues. As a result, Guidetti is yet to make his first league appearance in a sky blue shirt this term. Therefore, Pellegrini, who attempted to loan Guidetti to Malaga during his time in charge of the La Liga side, could loan his young striker out, as game time is limited, with Sergio Aguero, Alvaro Negredo, Edin Dzeko and Stevan Jovetic ahead of him in the pecking order.
He previously benefited from being sent out on loan to Dutch outfit Feyenoord for the 2011-12 season – netting an impressive 20 goals in 23 games. It now seems that teams like West Ham and Stoke are willing to provide him with some vital Premier League experience, as they lead the race for the Swede’s signature.
And when asked about the rumours in the press conference, Pellegrini stated that “It’s true; I think that John (Guidetti) must go on loan.
“He’s coming back from a long injury for about 18 months. Here we have Dzeko, Negredo, Aguero and Jovetic for the moment, so maybe he will not play as often as he needs. Maybe it is the best for him and for the team.”
The City boss praised his team for their hard work, with special attention given to the Blues’ title race possibilities.
“I’m very happy because in all the competitions we are playing we are in a good moment.
“In the Premier League we are just one point behind Arsenal, when a month ago we were six.
“We didn’t start very well the Premier League, especially playing away, but I think we had a good first half of the season.
“In Capital One we are in the semi-final. The Champions League – that was our first target and we have classified already for the round of 16.
Reflecting on the season so far, he admitted that the Etihad side have had a “good first half of the season”, but also conceded that his side can’t get complacent, adding that City “must win important things in the second for it to be a successful season.”
