The Premier League Game of Thrones

Manuel Pellegrini – Manchester City

Aug 2, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini looks on prior to the game at TCF Bank Stadium. Olympiakos defeated Manchester City in penalty kicks. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Projected Finish: 3rd

How’d he do?

Defending the title was never going to be an easy task, especially with Chelsea rearming over the summer. Pellegrini suffered through a surprisingly uniform drop in performances from many of his teams brightest stars, including Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany. Though Sergio Aguero and David Silva continue to impress, it wasn’t enough to offset the deficiencies of an aging squad. City competed for much of the season until a drop in form briefly left even a top four finish in doubt.

Season Highlight: Joe Hart’s unrewarded masterful performance in the loss to Barcelona.

Season Lowlight: The 1-2 hapless home loss to Barcelona. The most confused and unorganized City have looked in recent memory.

Future?

Out. Some might argue that the hundreds of millions City’s ownership have invested in the club entitled them to high standards. Pellegrini can’t entirely be faulted for the underperformance in the oldest squad in the Premier League or being matched in the Champions League against Barcelona for the second year running, but ultimately blame comes with the manager role. Like Rodgers at Liverpool, Pellegrini no doubt greeted the news of Klopp’s arrival on the open market with a good deal of worry.