But I wouldnt say that plays into anything you do differently

Nick Wright assesses Manuel Pellegrinis Manchester City legacy as he prepares to make way for Pep Guardiola. Matt Belisle Jersey ... Manuel Pellegrinis Etihad Stadium farewell rather summed up the mood at Manchester City as they approach the end of his final season in charge. Boos greeted the 2-2 draw with Arsenal as disgruntled fans headed straight for the exits, and when the manager and his players re-emerged from the dressing room, they were met by swathes of empty seats.It was a sad way for the Chilean to say goodbye after three years at the helm, but the exodus was also an understandable reaction to yet another setback in a season in which City have fallen a long way short of expectations. Manuel Pellegrini waved goodbye to City fans on Sunday after his final game at the Etihad Mercifully for City, their Champions League qualification fate is back in their hands after Manchester Uniteds 3-2 defeat to West Ham at Upton Park. They can guarantee a top-four finish by beating Swansea at the Liberty Stadium on the final day, but even a top-four finish will not mask the sense of deflation about how things have panned out.How did it come to this? The Capital One Cup triumph over Liverpool ensures the season has at least yielded silverware, but City could not have imagined the collapse that would follow the announcement of Pep Guardiolas appointment in February. Pellegrinis men were just three points behind leaders Leicester at the time. The gap now stands at 15. Manuel Pellegrini and Yaya Toure pose with the Premier League trophy after Man Citys 2013/14 title triumph Even the first Champions League semi-final in their history felt like an anti-climax. Here was an opportunity for Pellegrinis men to prove they belong on the grandest stage, but their meek surrender at the Bernabeu showed that, for all the investment, they are still no closer to the European elite.Pellegrini inherited a team that could win things, said Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness on Sunday. Then he spent £200m net, now he is leaving and how much further down the road is this team than when he walked in? Are they better? Have they stagnated? Or are they worse? What do the challengers need? Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd, Man City and Tottenham - what do they need to win the title? They are awkward questions for Pellegrini, who looked well positioned to dominate English football after guiding City to the Premier League title in a stellar 2013/14 campaign. The softly-spoken Chilean succeeded in repairing a squad left fractured by his confrontational predecessor Roberto Mancini, with City pipping Liverpool and Chelsea in a thrilling title race and securing the Capital One Cup with a 3-1 win over Sunderland. Manuel Pellegrini will be replaced by current Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola this summer Delivering the first league and cup double in Citys history was an achievement for which their understated manager probably deserved greater credit. It was done in style, too. Pellegrinis men thrilled supporters with devastating attacking football, and a total of 102 goals scored ranked as the second-highest in Premier League history. In all competitions, they struck a record-breaking 156 goals, and thoughts immediately turned to the future after they wrapped up the season with 2-0 win at home to West Ham. Big teams cannot be satisfied with one title, said Pellegrini in his post-match press conference. This club and players deserve more titles. Manuel Pellegrini guided Man City to a second Capital One Cup win this season City and their ambitious owners wanted dominance, but in the end the achievements of 2013/14 have been overshadowed by disappointment. City were joint-top of the Premier League midway through Pellegrinis second year in charge, but their challenge faded in the second half of the season, and there were cup exits too. They did finish as the Premier Leagues leading scorers for the second year running as they netted 83 goals, but it was the first time since 2009/10 since they had failed to win silverware. A steady decline was in motion, and the sense of underachievement has grown this season. Not since 2008/09 have City lost 10 Premier League games in a single campaign. Man Citys Premier League decline under Pellegrini Season Won Drawn Lost Goals for Goals against Points Position 2013/14 27 5 6 102 37 86 1st 2014/15 24 7 7 83 38 79 2nd 2015/16 19 8 10 70 40 65 4th Pellegrini, of course, is not solely responsible for Citys plight, with player recruitment a constant source of frustration. Last seasons signings of Eliaquim Mangala and Wilfried Bony have not worked out, and this year Nicolas Otamendi and Raheem Sterling have also struggled to live up to their huge price-tags.But while Citys aging squad contains 11 players aged 30 or over, there is still far more quality within its ranks than their league positions suggests. Pellegrini has been unable to get the best out of them, and Citys dismal record of no wins from 10 games against the top-six opponents is a damning indictment of the man making the decisions in the dug-out. Is Laporte the answer? Athletic Bilbaos Aymeric Laporte is a Man City target. Is he the answer to their defensive woes? Pellegrini can, of course, point to the destabilising effect of the Guardiola announcement as a mitigating factor - and it certainly seems as though certain players have taken their eyes of the ball - but he cannot deny that the decline started long before February.So while Pellegrini will be fondly remembered for the moments to savour in his unforgettable first season, he leaves having failed in his task to take City to the next level. The sparse crowd that stayed for his farewell speech told a tale. Guardiola has plenty of work to do to get them to where they want to be. Also See: What do the challengers need? Is Laporte the answer? Who gets into Europe? City-Arsenal talking points Carlos Baerga Jersey . The eighth-year point guard played in his 500th career game on Sunday, a 98-93 win over the Orlando Magic. Does he feel like hes played in that many games? "No," he said initially, before reconsidering. Jason Kipnis Jersey . Returning to Davis Cup tennis, Federer cruised past Ilija Bozoljac, winning 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 in less than two hours. Federer faced little challenge from Bozoljac, who served well but still was no match for his Swiss opponent. http://www.indiansteamproshop.com/Indians-Tyler-Naquin-Kids-Jersey/ .Y. - Major League Soccers independent review panel has taken back the fine and one-game suspension it placed on Toronto FC forward Luke Moore earlier this week. DENVER -- Chris Owings has been in a little bit of an offensive funk. Leave it to hitting friendly Coors Field to snap him right out of it. Leave it to this park to get the entire Arizona lineup revved up. Owings, Paul Goldschmidt and Miguel Montero homered as the Diamondbacks reached double-digits against the Colorado Rockies again, completing a sweep with a 12-7 win Thursday night. Arizona took all three games at Coors Field for the first time since April 2008. This series was quite an offensive display by the Diamondbacks, too, as they scored 32 runs and collected 48 hits over the three games. "(This) happens every other week here, doesnt it?" Bronson Arroyo said. "Doesnt usually happen to those guys, though. We just happened to put all the runs on the board this time." Even Arroyo (5-4) pitched differently in this park. He went with fastballs 60 per cent of the time -- something the 37-year-old usually doesnt do. But hey, this quirky park sometimes calls for an unorthodox approach. "I threw an offbeat game," said Arroyo, who allowed four runs and six hits in 6 1-3 innings. The Rockies were once again off their game as they lost their seventh straight. Its their longest skid since losing nine in a row late in the 2012 season. "We come to play every single day," said Troy Tulowitzki, who had a homer and a double. "Its just not happening right now. A night after the Diamondbacks put up 16 runs, they pounded Rockies starter Juan Nicasio (5-4). The right-hander struggled with his command, allowing a season-high seven runs in 5 1-3 innings. Manager Walt Weiss called a team meeting before the game, just so he could check in with his team during this horrendous stretch. He said there are "no magic words in this game or magic words for success." Is this rock bottom? "I dont know," Weiss said. "We have a game tomorrow. Well try to win a game tomorrow." The top five hitters in the Diamondbacks lineup -- Gerardo Parra, Owings, Goldschmidt, Montero and Martin Prado -- feasted on Rockies pitching, going a combined 13 for 24 with nine RBIs. "I know weve got a good hitting ball club. I knnow that," Montero said. Josh Tomlin Jersey. "We showed it the last couple of games." Did they ever. According to the Diamondbacks, its just the second time the team has had back-to-back games with 18 or more hits. Its only the fifth time theyve scored 12 or more runs in two straight. "You hear stuff about Coors Field coming up through the minors leagues," said Owings, who finished 3 for 5 with four RBIs. "You watch a lot of games here, see a lot of runs scored. But I wouldnt say that plays into anything you do differently here. You hit the ball hard. "The ball might do some different things here." Owings had a two-run homer in the eighth that gave Arizona a 9-6 lead. The cushion was valuable at the time as Rockies pinch hitter Brandon Barnes hit an inside-the-park homer in the bottom of the inning, when the ball sailed over the head of centre fielder Ender Inciarte, hit off the base of the wall and caromed away. It was the 14th inside-the-park homer in Rockies history and first since Eric Young Jr. had one on Aug. 8, 2012, in Los Angeles. Arizona added to its lead in the ninth with three more runs. Inciarte ended the game by making a leaping catch at the wall on Wilin Rosarios deep drive. Arroyo had a 7-3 lead heading into the seventh inning, when he ran into trouble. A usually reliable bullpen struggled, too. The Rockies scored three times on RBI singles from Drew Stubbs, Michael Cuddyer and Corey Dickerson. With the bases loaded and two outs, Oliver Perez was brought in to face pinch hitter Justin Morneau, who grounded out to third to end the rally. "That was huge," Arroyo said. "He came in and gave us that one out we needed and really broke the game open for us." NOTES: The Diamondbacks open a three-game home series against Atlanta on Friday, with RHP Brandon McCarthy taking the mound. ... Colorado held a moment of silence for Don Zimmer, who died Wednesday at 83. Zimmer spent three seasons as a coach with the Rockies. ... Colorado RHP Eddie Butler makes his debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday. ... OF Charlie Blackmon hit his third leadoff homer of the season. 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