Pellegrini backs Brom boss Mel to be Premier League hit

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini has backed his West Brom counterpart Pepe Mel to be a success in English football.

The pair know each other well, with both men having begun their Premier League careers this season after lengthy stints working in Spain. Mel, appointed as Albion head coach in January, has made something of a slow start, which saw him fail to oversee a Baggies win until his eighth game in charge while the club continue to struggle towards the bottom end of the table.

There have been notable signs of improvement of late, though, with that victory being one of two in West Brom’s last five matches, a sequence in which they have only been beaten once.

“I think he is a very good manager,” said Pellegrini.

“He is a manager that wants his teams to play attractive football – he always tries to make it so that his team will play with a lot of possession of the ball and make a very offensive game.”

Asked if he could see Mel being successful in English football, Pellegrini replied: “Yes, of course, because I repeat – I think he is a very good manager, and he worked very well in Spain.

“I am sure that here in England when he settles, he will be a very good manager also.”

Mel, meanwhile, has made it clear he and his players have taken great encouragement from the Black Cats’ exploits at the Etihad Stadium ahead of their own trip to the ground. But Pellegrini has also stressed that each assignment in the Premier League is different, and is eager to see his side bounce back from the disappointment of that previous outing.

He said: “I think all the games are different.

“It would be very easy to just to focus on what has happened in other games.”

City playmaker David Silva’s ankle problem makes him a doubtful starter.

Pellegrini revealed winger Jesus Navas has also been struggling with an ankle knock, and the game will come too soon for midfielder Toure after his leg injury, which it was suggested earlier this week could keep him out for up to a fortnight. Defender Matija Nastasic, out of action since February because of a knee complaint, remains unavailable.