Football
ESPN staff 8y

Gary Cahill: 'Strange' that Man City have already announced Pellegrini exit

Chelsea defender Gary Cahill says the situation at Manchester City in which the players know Manuel Pellegrini will be replaced by Pep Guardiola in the summer is "strange."

City announced earlier this month that Bayern Munich coach Guardiola will succeed manager Pellegrini at the end of the season.

And while Cahill says Chelsea are in a similar position with interim boss Guus Hiddink due to step down in the summer, he believes he would find it hard as a City player knowing that Pellegrini's exit was looming.

"You only know if you're in the camp but I'd find it strange myself," Cahill is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail. "I think he [Pellegrini] has done a good job there, he comes across as a humble guy.

"It's weird when you know the manager isn't going to be there at the end of the season -- but it's a bit like ourselves at the moment."

Cahill and Chelsea come up against City on Sunday in the FA Cup fifth round, and the England international feels it could be the perfect time to play them given the sense of uncertainty hanging over the club at the moment.

"Who knows, it maybe is a good time to face them. It depends on how you look at it," Cahill said. "Maybe confidence is a bit lower, or maybe they will want to bounce back and turn things around.

"The bottom line is no matter what the previous game produced, this is a massive game: Chelsea v Man City. People have been saying this will be like the final and it will have that atmosphere and feeling."

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