Manuel Pellegrini may not be a fan of The Smiths but it is likely he appreciated being known as This Charming Man among Manchester City supporters last season. Indeed, as City closed in on their second Premier League title in three years, the manager spoke with pride of his ability to stay calm and polite under pressure, saying: “It is very important to control your emotions because when you have to take decisions under emotion you do it the wrong way.”
Wise words, yet six months on it appears Pellegrini is not living by his own advice. After this chaotic draw, his normally cool manner was replaced by agitation and anger, with the City manager having seen his team’s hopes of progressing in the Champions League and retaining their Premier League crown suffer notable blows in the space of four days.
“Hurry up, two minutes!” was the order Pellegrini barked at a group of reporters as they prepared to speak to him on Saturday evening, and while it is not a crime for anyone to lose their temper with journalists (some would actively encourage it), the moment was a startling one. In fairness, he answered every question but there was no doubting his simmering fury, with Sam Allardyce even receiving a metaphorical kicking.
Asked to respond to Allardyce’s assertion, made after West Ham’s 2-1 victory over City last month, that their £32m centre-back Eliaquim Mangala is being left exposed by his team-mates, Pellegrini said: “When you are a manager and win you have all the solutions. The same manager, we last year scored 14 goals [against in four games] and he didn’t have the solution.” Ouch.
Given the circumstances it would be no surprise if Pellegrini is feeling the pressure, with this undoubtedly his most difficult spell since succeeding Roberto Mancini 17 months ago. It is now just one win in six matches. City were shambolic during Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat by CSKA Moscow and followed that with a spirited but less-than-convincing showing against QPR, who have improved in recent weeks but remain stuck in the relegation zone. City should have swatted them aside in the downpour but instead Harry Redknapp’s men were the more hard-working, dynamic and creative side for large chunks of the contest and would have won had it not been for the brilliance of Sergio Agüero.
The striker twice brought City back on level terms and while his first goal was controversial – given he was marginally offside when collecting Mangala’s long pass and handled the ball before striking it past Rob Green – the second was utterly admirable, with the home defence twisted, turned and outdone by a sublime performer.
Agüero has 12 goals in 11 league appearances this season, which to put into context is two more than the rest of the City squad between them. Quite simply, he is regularly rescuing a team who are lacking assurance in defence, authority in midfield and, Agüero aside, decisiveness in attack.
“As long as Sergio scores that is good, but we have a lot of good players who can do it,” insisted the right-back Bacary Sagna. “We trust each other, we want to do well and succeed for the club and the fans. We will come back to our best.”
Pellegrini will hope for the same and he can take heart from the same stage last season when City had two fewer points than they do now, 19 compared with 21. However, he may also be aware that in their last title-defending campaign, the 2012-13 season, City had 25 points after 11 games and were two points off the leaders, Manchester United. (They are currently eight points off leaders Chelsea). Mancini was not able to restore City to the summit and having also failed in Europe, he was sacked. The omens are not great for his successor.
For QPR, there was much encouragement to take from this match, and for no one more so than Charlie Austin. The striker was a threat throughout and having seen two goals disallowed within seconds of each other early on, he did get on the scoresheet with a neat finish on 21 minutes before assisting the hosts’ second, via Martín Demichelis. Cue talk of an England call-up for the 25-year-old, who has six goals in 10 league appearances.
“If he keeps scoring goals that does all the talking for him,” said the QPR captain, Joey Barton. “And it sounds like I’m slagging Rickie Lambert off, and I’m not, but if you’re not playing for Liverpool who can’t hit a cow’s arse with a banjo, how do you get into the England squad?”
Austin was the scourge of City and as their manager returned to Manchester it was another Smiths track which best summed up his mood: Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now.
Man of the match Charlie Austin (QPR)
