Skip to main content

Pellegrini touted for Zenit job


Manuel Pellegrini can take Zenit St. Petersburg to another level if the Chilean decides to take over as manager of the Russian club at the end of the season, according to former Manchester United winger Andrei Kanchelskis.
Zenit coach Andre Villas-Boas has announced his intention to step down in May and Pellegrini, who is leaving Manchester City this year, has been strongly linked with the job in Russian media.
Zenit asked Pellegrini to become their head coach in March 2014 but the 62-year-old chose to stay in Manchester. The St Petersburg club are now reportedly ready to offer him 3.5 million euros ($3.9 million) a year to take the job.
"Pellegrini is a great coach and I am one hundred percent sure that at all levels he is a much better manager than Villas-Boas," Kanchelskis, who is coaching Solyaris Moscow in the Russian second division, told Reuters by telephone.
"I don't know how quickly the Chilean will adapt to Russia, but he can certainly take Zenit to a higher level."
Villas-Boas has enjoyed mixed fortunes at the Petrovsky Stadium.
The only major trophy he won was the Russian league title in 2015 and Zenit – bankrolled by energy giant Gazprom – have yet to make it past the Champions League round of 16.
Villas-Boas, 38, was handed a six-match touchline ban after pushing an official and he has been at loggerheads with the Russian Football Union (RFU) regarding the foreigners rule in domestic games which allows a coach to play a maximum of six non-Russian passport holders at any one time.
"Villas-Boas failed at Chelsea and Tottenham, but somehow found himself in St. Petersburg," Kanchelskis said.
"The club made the wrong choice and now they will need to find a replacement. Over the last 14 years Zenit have had foreign coaches," added the former Russia international who won two English Premier League titles with Manchester United.
"Vlastimil Petrzela, Dick Advocaat, Luciano Spalletti, Villas-Boas... For Russian coaches this position is a closed shop."
With nine games left in the Russian season, Zenit are fourth in the standings, six points behind leaders CSKA Moscow. They are also through to the semifinals of the Russian Cup.
Key players, including Brazilian forward Hulk and Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel, could leave this year to play in stronger leagues but the future is still bright for Zenit.
"The team could change, but with Pellegrini they will certainly not be weaker," former Zenit and Russia forward Alexander Panov told Reuters.
"The Chilean has done well at Manchester City and has shown what a high-class coach he is having won the English title and League Cup twice," he added.
"He has a winning mentality and he has a number of qualities that the current coach of Zenit does not have." (

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chelsea news

Chelsea news: Antonio Conte’s men shouldn't worry about beating Atletico Madrid - Lampard CHELSEA have to remember they don’t need to beat Atletico Madrid. Those are the thoughts of Blues legend Frank Lampard. After thrashing Qarabag on matchday 1, Chelsea travel to face La Liga giants Atletico Madrid in their second Champions League group game on Wednesday (7.45pm). Antonio Conte ’s men have hit their stride in the Premier League and swept aside Stoke 4-0 at the bet365 Stadium in their last outing. Lampard, who was part of the Champions League winning side in 2012, insists his former club don’t need to get a victory against Atletico. Morata and Hazard look sharp in training as Chelsea prepare for Atletico Madrid clash “Chelsea should remember they don’t have to win the game,” Lampard told the   London Evening Standard . “If they come away with a draw they will be happy and it will set them up for the Manchester City match. “I expect Atletico will press high ...
Post a Comment
Read more
rudeboypsquare ALL YOU ALL WANT IS PSQUARE ALL I WANT IS FAMILY,LOVE AND CARE. PAUL OKOYE POURS OUT HIS MIND ON IG rudebo y psquare All you all want is psquare ,...all I want is family, love and care!!! Social media is the new root of all evil!! There's family before Psquare and there will always be family after PSquare ....Jude was only a scape goat and a victim .The person who has been keeping us together for all these years,..the truth is peter and Paul have issues!.For the first time I decided to do something outside Psquare ,and that is the case study here.I have always supported my brother 100% from His personal endorsements to dance with Peter which some re still on my I.g... Now I have just 3 questions....Why is it that these things are happening immediately I realized muno's singles under rudeboy Recordz. no.2 .. How come after jude stopped managing psquare for over a month now, the problem st...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why Obama went to a ballgame in Cuba after the Brussels attacks

(CNN) As the Brussels attacks jarred Europe and sent shockwaves through U.S. politics, President Barack Obama stuck to his agenda: a speech to the Cuban people and a baseball game. Critics such as Republican presidential candidate John Kasich railed at Obama for failing to return to the U.S. immediately. But the President argued that sticking to his schedule denied terrorists any victory in their goal of upending daily life. "The whole premise of terrorism is to try to disrupt people's ordinary lives," Obama said Tuesday in Havana when asked if he had second thoughts about attending the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team. The clashing approaches offer a window into the president's worldview -- his desire to emphasize long-term interests over short-term emergencies and project calm at a time of high public concern. It's a dynamic that has sometimes caused him problems, leaving aides concerned that Obama's cool ...
Post a Comment
Read more