Pellegrini snubs handshake with Chelsea boss
MANCHESTER City manager Manuel Pellegrini revealed last night that he deliberately snubbed Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho for the traditional post-match handshake, having been unimpressed with his opposite number’s reaction to the Blues’ late match-winner.
Pellegrini was left fuming after another defensive mix-up from a long ball in the closing stages of the game saw City slump to their third Premier League defeat of the season.
“No, I didn’t shake hands. Because I didn’t want [to]. I didn’t want to shake hands,” Pellegrini said.
When asked about Mourinho running into the Chelsea crowd to celebrate, beside the City dugout, he added: “I don’t expect nothing different from him. I don’t expect any different way to celebrate from him. It’s normal.”
Pellegrini’s team seemed poised to come away from Stamford Bridge with at least a point after a strong second-half display. Yet when Willian sent a hopeful lob behind the City defence, goalkeeper Joe Hart sprinted out only to see defender Matija Nastasic head the ball straight past him. Debutant Martin Demichelis tried to beat Fernando Torres to the ball, but Torres got there first to steal all three points.
“We are losing stupid points, yes, from the beginning. I think that the three defeats that we have away we didn’t deserve not one of them, but the reality is that we have,” said Pellegrini, who refused to say whether England international Hart – who has made a handful of embarrassing errors this season – is assured his place in the team.
“The analysis I do with individual players I do it with the players. You must ask him how is his confidence. I repeat: we lost the game and we will talk for me just internally with the players,” Pellegrini added.