Manuel Pellegrini has hailed Edin Dzeko for hitting the heights as the Manchester City boss reflected on the squad strength that has powered the club towards Premier League glory.
The Etihad outfit will seal a second title win in three seasons if they draw or beat West Ham in the final game of the season. And Pellegrini knows it has been the depth in the City ranks that has been crucial, with Dzeko a perfect example of the class he has been able to call upon when needed.
The Bosnian started the campaign as third or fourth-choice striker amid competition from Sergio Aguero and summer signings Alvaro Negredo and Stevan Jovetic.
But a double in the 4-0 midweek win over Aston Villa took Dzeko’s overall goal tally to 26, with 16 in the league and five of them coming in the last three games.
“I think it was very important at the beginning of the season to have a good squad, more than a team,” said Pellegrini. “At this moment Edin is in a very high level of performance, he is doing very well.
“In other moments it was Alvaro Negredo or Kun Aguero, so I think all the players are involved. I think the first thing I can say is we chose the right squad we needed.
“I don’t want to compare other teams, but I think maybe this team was without Aguero, he missed 14- 15 games in the Premier League. Maybe some other teams – you take [Luis] Suarez out of 15 games for Liverpool or [Eden] Hazard from Chelsea or [Santi] Cazorla from Arsenal.”
With 28-goal Aguero fit after missing the Aston Villa clash with a groin injury, Pellegrini has the option of pairing the Argentinewith Dzeko against the Hammers or keeping him in reserve on the bench. The Chilean says there will be no complacency.
“We have important players with a lot of experience, good players. I think they agree with me and are trying to win the game,” he added.
And he will look to stay calm as he revealed: “I think when I started this career maybe I had an absolutely different character.
“As a player, I had a different character than I have today. To prepare to be a manager you must change a lot of things and one of those things I was sure I had to change was my character.”
Asked what he was like before, a “mad dog” perhaps? “Absolutely yes!” added Pellegrini.
“I decided [to change]. There is another way of managing than as a player.”
Mourinho’s debrief
Meanwhile, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will on Monday present his thoughts on this summer’s searching questions to the club hierarchy.
Chelsea face decisions after the match at Cardiff, among them what to do with captain John Terry, record goalscorer Frank Lampard and left-back Ashley Cole.
All are out of contract after the game, for which Lampard (illness) and Terry (knock) are doubts.
A striker is a recruitment target this summer, when Romelu Lukaku’s future will be assessed after his season-long loan at Everton.
The goalkeeper situation – what to do with long-term No1 Petr Cech and heir apparent Thibaut Courtois – will also be addressed.
Mourinho will detail all his thoughts in his end-of-term report. “I like to do things in a proper way, I like to be committed with my opinions, and I do that written always,” he said.
