Manuel Pellegrini promises Manchester City will win trophies in style

Manuel Pellegrini, right, and the new signing Fernandinho meet the press at Manchester City's training ground. Photograph: Dave Thompson/AFP/Getty Images

Manuel Pellegrini, who has not won a major trophy in Europe, has been forced to defend his managerial record. The new Manchester City manager, who was presented to the media for the first time on Wednesday, promised a "different style" of football to his predecessor Roberto Mancini and stated he is unconcerned that Ferran Soriano, the chief executive, has revealed City's ambition is to win five trophies in five seasons.

In nine seasons in Europe, managing Villarreal, Real Madrid and his last club, Málaga, the Chilean could win only the Intertoto Cup – in 2004 at Villareal. Yet he did take Villareal to the Champions League semi-final in 2006, second and fifth place in La Liga, finished second with Real to Barcelona in 2010 with a record 96 points, and led Málaga into last season's European Cup quarter-finals. The 59-year-old, who signed a three-year deal, also claimed the league title in Ecuador with LDU Quito and in Argentina, when in charge of River Plate and San Lorenzo.

Asked why City fans should get behind him given his record, and with Mancini having won the FA Cup and Premier League, Pellegrini said: "I won a lot of trophies in South America. I think it is very difficult for Villarreal to win a title in Spain. It is very difficult for Villarreal to arrive in the quarter, semi-final of the Champions League, it's very difficult to arrive with Villarreal in the second place of the league, 10 points from Barcelona. That's my work with Villarreal. To win the titles it's impossible.

"After, in Real Madrid with 96 points, we played a whole year against a great Barcelona with [Pep] Guardiola [as coach] but we couldn't win the title in just one year. I am sure if I could continue at Real Madrid we could win a lot of trophies. And Málaga is exactly the same as Villarreal – you can't win the Champions League with Málaga or the [title]. But also it is very difficult to arrive with Málaga in the Champions League and to continue to the quarter-final. So for me with the strong squad we have in Manchester I am sure we can win trophies."

Of Soriano's ambition that City should win five trophies in the next five seasons, Pellegrini said: "Just five? I am not concerned about that. I will do my job here completely with Ferran, with Txiki [Begiristain, director of football] with Patrick Vieira also working with young players. We have to have a different style in the club and that is why I'm here.

"We will try to work and do our best and then we will see how many trophies. One of the important [factors why] I am here is the way my other teams always played. I think fans of Manchester City will see a different way to how they played in the other years. I am sure we are going to play an attractive game. We will always try to play in the opposition's [half], try to be an attacking team, do what all the other teams I worked with before did."

Pellegrini started his tenure in charge of Manchester United's great rivals by reminding the champions that his sides have previously bested them. "I have played against Manchester United twice in the Champions League with Villarreal, in both years we passed to the last 16 and Manchester United didn't so I have experience playing against United," he said. "I know that the most important thing for all the fans is to beat United and if I am here it is because I am sure we will do it This year, same as other years, Manchester City will be top of Manchester United – we will try, at least.

"For me it is exactly the same. We don't have a priority for one competition. We know we have to improve what Man City have done in the CL. But also the Premier League is important."

Pellegrini revealed he nearly took charge of City during the ownership of Thaksin Shinawatra, which ended in the summer of 2009. "I had chances to arrive before. One was to Manchester City but with the other owners, not these owners – one year before these owners bought the club. Liverpool, I was very near, after Real Madrid. It was not the right moment but now it is the right moment."

With Fernandinho and Jesús Navas joining City for a combined £47m Pellegrini confirmed there would be more signings. "We will see. I am not sure if they can arrive when we are in South Africa and Hong Kong [during the club's two and a half week tour]. We are not in a hurry. We have people and choices."

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David Moyes plans on just being himself at Manchester United

David Moyes says of the Manchester United post: 'As soon as I knew that I was the candidate Sir Alex [Ferguson] wanted, that I was his choice for the job, I never had any doubts.' Photograph: John Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images

It has been a bit of a whirlwind week for David Moyes in his new job, facing more cameras than ever before, attempting to meet as many Manchester United employees as possible before introducing himself to the team, and trying to suppress a grin of delight when taking his first proprietorial stroll around the Carrington acres after succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson.

It has never been too difficult to detect a note of hero worship when Moyes talks of Ferguson and for that very reason there was never any danger he would turn down United's offer or bide his time and let someone else be the first to suffer by comparison.

"I heard so many people saying 'you don't want to follow Sir Alex', lots of good managers said that would be a bad idea," he said. "But it is different once you are actually offered the job. I think anyone would want to take it on, because of what it is. Sir Alex has left me a very good team, some great players, and he has been really supportive, as has everyone else at the club. As soon as I knew that I was the candidate Sir Alex wanted, that I was his choice for the job, I never had any doubts, because believe me I'll never get a bigger confidence boost. Who wouldn't want Sir Alex as a mentor and adviser?"

Ferguson was famously granted four years in which to win his first trophy but United are a very different proposition today and Moyes doubts if he will get anything like as long. "I don't even think managers can ask for time any more," he said. "All you can ask is to be judged in the right manner. I don't plan on changing my managerial style too much. I'm hard-working, I put the time in. The reason I got here was because of the way I was at Everton. I think that's the right way and I'm hoping just to carry on being myself."

Moyes takes his players on a tour of the Far East next week, which will mainly serve the purpose of getting to know the players. "I've not been used to such a big squad before but I know the hardest part of being a manager is telling a player he is not in the team," he said. "But then again you play a lot more matches when you are Manchester United, so everyone should get a chance."

Strange as the first few days have been, however, they could not possibly be any stranger than the week towards the end of last season when Moyes knew he was to be the new United manager but could not tell anyone. "I've got to say that was the strangest time of all," he said. "Apart from anything else I was still Everton manager and we had a game coming up against Liverpool. When we played that derby it was at the back of my mind that, if we could get a result, we could probably finish above Liverpool, so it was important. But I also knew I was the new United manager. That was as difficult a day as I've ever had. There were all sorts of things going through my head."

Apart from Sir Alex and perhaps a handful of people at United, only one other person was in on the secret: Moyes' wife, Pamela. "I've heard it said that I had known for months but nothing could be further from the truth," Moyes said. "I can still recall the day it all happened quite vividly. It was the Thursday before we played Liverpool on the Sunday. I was out with my wife. The phone rang and it was Sir Alex. He asked whether I could drop by at his house. I assumed he might ask me to take someone on loan or want to buy one of my players but I didn't care about that as much as the fact that I had my jeans on. I was just in jeans and a T-shirt, so I thought I'd drive home and get changed but my wife said there wouldn't be time. So I dropped her at a shopping centre and set off on my own feeling uncomfortable, because ordinarily I would never, ever, go to a meeting with Sir Alex with a pair of jeans on. Had I known what was coming I would have felt even worse, but I had no idea.

"I got to the house and Sir Alex took me up the stairs, made a cup of tea, then told me what was happening. I'll never forget it for the rest of my life. He said he was retiring, in a week's time, and I was the next United manager. My wife knew something was up the minute I picked her up again; I must have been acting strangely. She asked me what was the matter and I told her I was the Manchester United manager. I'm afraid I can't repeat what she said. We both agreed not to say anything to the kids, although I did let them in on the secret the following Tuesday, when the story began to break. They were made up, as was my dad, who follows me everywhere. It was a big thing for the whole family, because it is a great honour to be the manager of this club."

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