Manuel Pellegrini says he is keen to stay in charge of Villarreal after finishing second in La Liga.
Coach content with life at Villarreal
Manuel Pellegrini has revealed the keys behind the incredible progress of Villarreal and explained that he wants to stay in charge because of the anomalies at the club.
The Chilean coach is set to conclude another spectacular season on Sunday that has seen the Yellow Submarine finish as runners-up in the Primera Liga to Real Madrid and return to the UEFA Champions League in style.
As predicted, some of the club's star players are being watched, but Pellegrini admits that the fact that they can turn down a recent bid for Giuseppe Rossi makes him more determined to continue.
"This is one of the things that motivates me to stay. This is an atypical club because despite the limitations, Villarreal is a buying club. We have no intention of selling and players will not be offered around," he explained.
Different
"It is different here. I have coached in big clubs like Universidad de Chile, River or San Lorenzo. Here finishing second is it a big success and we have to honour the continuing growth of this club.
"There are three concepts that are key. Knowledge of all areas of the game, hard work and, the main one, a complete conviction in the job you are doing. There are moments when you make mistakes, but one must respect the project and what it is based on.
"It is hard to find a club with a plan like Villarreal anywhere. I don't know if there is another one, but I have not seen it.
"Being champions is not our guideline because if we did that then our growth would be finished. Growing is continuing to be competitive. We start from scratch every year with the intention of playing well and finishing as high as possible."
Despite the delight at his team's achievement, Pellegrini did admit that he sometimes reflects on games when his side dropped the points that could have seen them overhaul Madrid.
"It has been an excellent season in every aspect. The team deserves a lot of credit for finishing above not just Barcelona and Atletico de Madrid, but also Valencia, Real Zaragoza and Sevilla, all of whom have much bigger budgets than ours," he continued.
Bittersweet
"The only bittersweet flavour, perhaps, is when we reflect on the points that dropped that could have turned runners-up into champions."
Finally, Pellegrini believes that he will not have to expand his squad because the team qualified for the Champions League.
"I do not have to change. My ideal is to have two players for every position. What is important is to have players that truly believe in your plans because that is more effective than having 25 very good players who don't," he concluded.
