Manuel Pellegrini has told title rival Jose Mourinho :’Intelligent managers don’t play mind games.’
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has been using a defeatist attitude towards his team in recent weeks and months, maintaining his team are not favourites for the title despite leading the Premier League for several weeks. As we all know this method is used to try and relieve pressure off his players and himself, and it’s an attitude that had proved successful until Crystal Palace, where his team lost 1-0 on Saturday.
His new found attitude is that his side are out of the title race completely, declaring it “impossible” to win the Premier League.
But City boss Pellegrini insists Mourinho’s psychological tricks will not wash, saying: ‘I don’t think other managers can be giving any importance to those mind games.
‘I don’t know if you think managers who play mind games are more intelligent? I don’t think so.
‘I don’t respond to it because I don’t know what he says. I don’t know the way he thinks.’
It seems all this season Premier League managers have seemingly been ruling out their sides chances of winning the title. Although at present Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City all have realistic chances of winning the Premier League.
City’s title charge will take a boost this week when Sergio Aguero returns to full fitness after sitting on the sidelines in recent weeks, after suffering with a hamstring injury.
Even with Aguero out, City have been in formidable form. Being able to chop and change at will has been a convenience any manager in the world would adore, with Dzeko, Negredo and Jovetic all back up to the Argentinian hit-man.
Written by Matthew Birt
