The weekend’s result was disheartening in more ways than one, as despite being the better side, we left Old Trafford empty-handed, and now the Europa League is all but out of reach for another year.
Manuel Pellegrini, though, is still in somewhat of an upbeat mood, and has said, in quotes reported by the Independent, that he still believes he can guide us on to better things and qualify for the European stage.
That might not be this season, or even the next, but the boss is keen to at least get the groundwork in place on how the side plays, much like he managed at Villarreal, where he would go on to reach the Champions League Semi-Finals.
However, if our head coach is to fulfill his latest claims, he will face an incredibly fierce challenge. That’s because, unlike the early-2000s, when he took a relatively small Spanish side onto greater things, player fees are far higher now, and we cannot just go out and buy a dozen top new faces to improve on our more problematic areas.
Pellegrini is aware of the differences he will face despite the similarities, though.
“It’s my intention [to qualify for Europe with West Ham],” Pellegrini said. “When I arrived at Villarreal in 2004, it was a very small team, but we were growing, and it was a complete project for the club.
“We did very good work at that club. We got to the Semi-Final of the Champions League. My intention here is just to try to repeat at West Ham what we did, and playing the way we did.
“I think we can do it. Now we must be consistent. When I started at Villarreal, 14 or 15 years ago, maybe the amount of money for the big players was not so high as now.
“So the big teams over this period have got more of an advantage. In that moment, we bought good players to Villarreal. But finally, the project, the style of the football, I will try to do it at West Ham.
“There are three or four teams who can do it also. I think that Everton can also do it, Wolverhampton this year, Burnley and Bournemouth did it last season.
“More of a future target is that we must try to have a style of play that demonstrates we can fight against everyone, and after that, you will see at the end of the season where you arrive.”
