Agency :
Ex-Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini is one man who will not be watching Saturday’s Manchester derby as he takes his bow with Hebei China Fortune in the ultra-volatile Chinese Super League.
At the same time as his successor, Pep Guardiola, is locking horns with Manchester United’s Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford, Pellegrini will be pitchside 8,000 kilometres (5,000 miles) away as Hebei host Guangzhou Evergrande in northern China.
Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Centre Stadium will be a novel experience for Pellegrini, 62, whose CV includes the 2014 English Premier League title and a season with Real Madrid.
But the Chilean will quickly learn that expectations and pressure are sky-high in China, where well-heeled clubs are luring a rising number of star managers-but whose owners are notoriously trigger-happy.
Since the start of the current, 16-team Chinese Super League season in March, no fewer than eight managers have been shown the door, meaning a coach’s chances of long-term survival are slim.
It hasn’t deterred a group of well-known managers who have set up camp in China, including Sven-Goran Eriksson at Shanghai SIPG and Felix Magath at Shandong Luneng.
Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Evergrande are top of the table but he appears under threat with Marcello Lippi, who masterminded the club’s 2013 AFC Champions League victory, tipped to return.
Among this season’s departures was former Juventus and Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni, who lasted barely two months at Beijing Guoan before fan protests cut short his reign.
Ex-Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini is one man who will not be watching Saturday’s Manchester derby as he takes his bow with Hebei China Fortune in the ultra-volatile Chinese Super League.
At the same time as his successor, Pep Guardiola, is locking horns with Manchester United’s Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford, Pellegrini will be pitchside 8,000 kilometres (5,000 miles) away as Hebei host Guangzhou Evergrande in northern China.
Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Centre Stadium will be a novel experience for Pellegrini, 62, whose CV includes the 2014 English Premier League title and a season with Real Madrid.
But the Chilean will quickly learn that expectations and pressure are sky-high in China, where well-heeled clubs are luring a rising number of star managers-but whose owners are notoriously trigger-happy.
Since the start of the current, 16-team Chinese Super League season in March, no fewer than eight managers have been shown the door, meaning a coach’s chances of long-term survival are slim.
It hasn’t deterred a group of well-known managers who have set up camp in China, including Sven-Goran Eriksson at Shanghai SIPG and Felix Magath at Shandong Luneng.
Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Evergrande are top of the table but he appears under threat with Marcello Lippi, who masterminded the club’s 2013 AFC Champions League victory, tipped to return.
Among this season’s departures was former Juventus and Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni, who lasted barely two months at Beijing Guoan before fan protests cut short his reign.
