Manuel Pellegrini blames Man City's Pep Guardiola announcement for derailing their title bid

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini believes the announcement of Pep Guardiola's appointment as his successor is to blame for their Barclays Premier League title bid flopping.

News of Pellegrini's exit and the arrival of the Bayern Munich coach broke on February 1, and was followed by damaging back-to-back defeats to Leicester and Tottenham which derailed their bid for top spot.