There is an interesting thing happening with Manuel Pellegrini. This
is unusual, because Manuel Pellegrini spends most of his time being as
uninteresting as possible.
He has it down to a fine art. In
private, he may well be a famous raconteur, a devil-may-care sort, quick
with a shot glass and a bawdy story. In public, in the two seasons he
has been manager of Manchester City, he has been studiously dour. He
seemingly does it on purpose. It is like he is a conceptual artist,
working on a long-term project called "Tedium."
Not anymore. Now,
although he is not doing it on purpose, the Chilean is becoming
interesting. It is a process accentuated by the fact that he has
presented a blank canvas to the world for two years. Unlike most
managers, it is impossible to have any preconceptions about Pellegrini,
to have any sense that you know him or his motivations. So now that the
interesting thing is happening, there are no obstacles to overcome, no
previous judgments to overturn.
The interesting thing is this:
before our very eyes, Pellegrini is undergoing a transformation. Not
that he is changing -- Pellegrini doesn't change, and that is part of
the problem -- but our perception of him is.
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