Manuel Pellegrini

“Football is so difficult to predict.”

“When I started to be a coach, I expected a lot - maybe too much - in terms of physical approach, tactics, and technique. There was too little emphasis on human relationships.”

“I've always liked technical, creative central midfielders with the capacity to score goals, such as David Silva, Samir Nasri, and Santi Cazorla.”

“Playing every day with important players is good for a young player: you are always learning from experienced players.”

“I went to Villarreal for 30% less than I could have earned in Mexico.”

“My first experience out of my country was Ecuador. That was a very good option for me. To know how you can develop your coaching style or your personality being away and being alone, that is not easy.”

“I enjoy England and enjoy the Premier League.”

“You need the desire to demonstrate the way you can play, which team you are.”

“I never put myself in negative situations unless they happen.”

“When you manage a big team like River Plate or Madrid, they are used to winning titles. The people are happy, but they are used to it. When you have an achievement like I had in Villarreal, reaching the semi-final of the Champions League, finishing second in the league, it's more than winning a title. It's more.”

“To lead a group of players is to lead a group of people with different ways of thinking. You have to be prepared for that and know more than just about football. You have to speak a lot to the players, have to make them feel what you expect of them. Have to convince them. Therefore, it's very important for a coach to have a life outside football.”

“It's very important for the mentality of the players to always try to be a winner, to try to win as many titles and games as you can.”

“I am very lucky to have a wife who supports me, but the absence from my children was difficult from the moment I took a very difficult decision to have a career which requires so much dedication and focus, just like raising children.”

“We can all get better. We all have to think about how to improve ourselves, no matter how good we are.”

“If you do not know each player individually, one on one, it is impossible to form a team from 22 distinct personalities, different languages, different home countries, but with one common aim.”

“As for Kaka, he is a superstar... someone who can change the tempo of the game as well as the team.”

“I always say it must not be an obsession to win the Champions League. It's a very important title and beautiful to do it. But you must not try to win the Champions League and lose focus on the Premier League.”

“When you are in the biggest clubs, and you are fighting for the best players with a lot of money, maybe the work of a sporting director is not so difficult.”

“In the Premier League, you can't play against anyone if you don't play at a high pace.”

“What I want is to recover the ball as near to the other box as we can, and when we have the ball, play.”