http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=790699&sec=europe&cc=3888Former Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini has attacked the club for failing to give him the backing he needed during his tenure.
Pellegrini revealed the isolation he experienced at the Bernabeu in an interview with Cadena Ser radio station on Thursday, as he said: "I came here with high hopes and great pride to manage this team. Unfortunately I wasn't able to do what I wanted to do and I had differences from the beginning of the season."
He admitted that one of his biggest frustrations was "not having felt more involved with the project" and claimed the project of Florentino Perez was not running smoothly.
"There were a lot of disagreements in the club. I asked for them to keep (Wesley) Sneijder and (Arjen) Robben, who were two very important players for me. I missed having a debate on sporting issues, with the coach included,'' he said. "As (former Real coach and current Spain boss) Vicente Del Bosque said, even the club show no respect for the position of the coach, and they don't give them the authority internally or externally. Florentino's project is extraordinary but I think he's got it wrong."
The Chilean boss was signed from Villarreal in June 2009 to replace the fired Juande Ramos, but his failure to get beyond the last-16 of the Champions League was a black mark against his record.
Pellegrini also revealed that lines of communication between his office and that of the club president had been non-existent during much of his time in the role.
"I did not speak with the president since last August,'' added Pellegrini, who nevertheless sidestepped the opportunity to criticise his former employer. "I cannot say anything good or bad about Florentino, because I do not know. I respect his stance of the president. He has a sporting project in which I don't fit."
Pelligrini added that he didn't appreciate the manner in which Real went about finding his replacement.
"It hurt,'' he said. ''Above all because they had already tied up a new coach which isn't ethical. I wouldn't have spoken about a team that already had a coach in place. It isn't very ethical, but he is a coach that has proven he is a winner in every team he has been with."
Fair enough, he couldn't take Madrid past the last 16 in the Champions League, but then again, so could the last 8 managers.
