There is regular speculation surrounding the club’s transfer activity and the manager understands that City must try to make changes this summer but he also claims that all of his rivals must do the same.
Speaking at his press conference before Sunday’s match against Southampton, Pellegrini said: “It’s not easy to tell you which changes will be made in the summer. I think that all the clubs, it’s not only my opinion about this club, must make changes at the end of a season. My words would be exactly the same if we had won the title.”
He continued: “Not major, serious surgery as the media say because I don’t think we need that but it’s important to have new faces, important to try every year to have a stronger squad but not because our squad is too old or not because we lost the title this year. Every year it is important to make changes.”
The Chilean has accepted that this hasn’t been a stellar season for the Blues but he has refused claims it is a disaster.
In the Premier League it’s not bad to one year to win the title and the other year maybe you cannot win it. It’s better to win twice but if you can’t do it the best thing is to be second place. That doesn’t mean I am happy with this season.
Manuel Pellegrini
In terms of reviewing the season, the boss maintains that a lack of goals in comparison to last season is not the sole reason the club has failed to retain the Premier League title.
He stated: “It’s not so easy to analyse because as you say we are the most scoring team this year and we didn’t win the title. We have the top scorer of the Premier League and we have the best goal difference in the Premier League and we didn’t win the title.”
Pellegrini is also confident his entertaining style of play isn’t to blame for the trophyless season.
He specified: “I don’t change the style of football because I think this club and I especially prefer to play in an attacking style rather than to be a team to recover the ball near our box and to try to counter attack. Maybe we continue to be a scoring team but I think that we must be a more consistent team not to lose so many points against teams in the relegation positions.”
In terms of reviewing the season internally, Manuel expects to continue to attend regular meetings with club directors.
He told the press: “I don’t think this club needs a special meeting to analyse at the end of the season because we are always analysing every week what we are doing. All of us know exactly what they think the others want.”
Finally, the boss was asked about the squad that will travel on the season ending trip to America and Canada.
He replied: “We’ll try to bring the whole squad on the post-season tour. We’ll have to see if all of them can because we have some problems with maybe two or three players but the whole squad will be involved in the post-season.”
Watch the press conference video below...
