Manuel Pellegrini believes Manchester City boast the Premier League’s best strikeforce. The manager has added new signings Stevan Jovetic and Alvaro Negredo to the ranks that already included Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko.
Speaking after City beat South China 1-0 at the Hong Kong Stadium to reach Saturday’s Asia Trophy final against Sunderland, Pellegrini was asked if his squad would have the most potent forwards in next season’s Premier League.
“I think so, yes, very strong. That’s correct,” he said. “I think we have very good strikers with Dzeko as well. They can play together or we can play one of them with Jovetic or Aguero. We have four very good strikers and that’s very necessary if we want to play in the Premier League and Champions League as a competitive team.”
Regarding Negredo, who signed last week for €23.9 million from Sevilla, Pellegrini said of his first appearance in a City shirt as a second-half substitute: "I know Negredo very well from the Spanish league, so it was not a surprise for me the way he played."
Also impressed
The 27-year-old might have scored had James Milner found him when unmarked and he also impressed with a deft pass that created a chance for Dzeko, whose first-half header proved the winner.
While Jovetic, a €25.5 million signing from Fiorentina, and Aguero did not feature, Pellegrini refused to be drawn on Jose Mourinho’s suggestion that given City’s summer spend of €103 million – Jesus Navas and Fernandinho have also been recruited – they are under more pressure to win the title than Chelsea.
“I don’t have an opinion about what Mourinho says,” the Chilean said. “A big club like Manchester City always has a lot of pressure. It’s very important to play under pressure. The players play better under pressure so we’re not scared.”
Of the start to the campaign, when Newcastle United visit, Pellegrini said: “We must be ready from the start of the first match against Newcastle and the team must play as we want. We must work very hard but I’m sure we ill arrive at the first match the way I want.”
Guardian Service