Manuel Pellegrini hits back at critics after Manchester City masterclass

Manuel Pellegrini hit back at the critics after Manchester City warmed up for their Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain with an impressive 4-0 victory at Bournemouth.

Goals by Fernando, Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero and Aleksandar Kolarov at Dean Court on Saturday tightened City’s hold on fourth place in the Premier League and boosted confidence ahead of Wednesday’s first leg in Paris.

A poor run of five losses in seven league matches before the international break, including three successive home defeats to title rivals Leicester and Tottenham and in the derby against Manchester United, caused some to doubt that City manager Pellegrini, due to be replaced by Pep Guardiola next season, could still motivate his players.

City’s dominant display on the south coast was the perfect answer and left them in control of their own destiny in the race to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Even without Joe Hart, Yaya Toure, Vincent Kompany and Raheem Sterling, City were too good for Bournemouth and Pellegrini took the opportunity to make a point to the doubters.

“The best way to prepare for the next game was to focus on this game, return to our style of play, try to recover the normal performance of our important players,” Pellegrini said.