“We’ll wait and see the starting XI but one player I’m sure will start is Raheem Sterling”, said Pellegrini.
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The England global was making his way to the player’s lounge when a Reds fan grabbed him and began to grab him and berate him with shouts of “You f****** Judas!”
“He is a young man, a young player, starting out in his career, he knows how to fight with the pressure”.
Manuel Pellegrini may be leaving Manchester City in three months – but he will be leaving as a victor before Pep Guardiola takes his place at the Etihad.
“It’s important for him to play under pressure, it doesn’t matter who against or where they play”. He will receive the same treatment but I’m absolutely sure he can deal with it. I don’t have any worries.
City return to Premier League action away to Liverpool on Wednesday, after overcoming the same opponents on penalties at Wembley on Sunday to lift the League Cup.
“I have 100 per cent trust in Raheem”.
That triumph came on the back of an authoritative 3-1 Champions League round-of-16 victory at Dynamo Kiev, a result that puts City in prime position to reach the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time.
However, Pellegrini said he never planned to reinstate Hart against Liverpool.
Prior to that they had hit problems with back-to-back defeats to Leicester and Tottenham threatening to derail their title bid before a controversial FA Cup loss at Chelsea.
Pellegrini’s side lie fourth in the table with 12 matches remaining, nine points behind the Foxes but with a game in hand. I think all big players must play under pressure.
“I remember two years before I arrived, when City won the title with Mancini, weren’t we eight points behind United?”
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WIlly Caballero was Manchester City’s hero as he went on to save three shots during the game.
