Former West Ham United defender James Collins has claimed that Hammers manager Manuel Pellegrini is under more pressure than his Tottenham Hotspur counterpart Mauricio Pochettino.
The two men will lead their respective teams into battle next Saturday, with the two South Americans coming in for criticism for their sides’ slow starts to the season. Now, Collins has had his say.
“Maybe not as much [pressure] as Pellegrini,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live. “Obviously it’s West Ham-Tottenham in the next game, and I think it’s a huge game for both managers.
“The slide that West Ham have been on in the last seven, eight weeks has been phenomenal. It’s typical West Ham: they either get off to a great start and, sort of, slow down, or slow start and, sort of, pick up. I’m sure he’s feeling the pressure, Pellegrini.”
OPINION
Obviously neither team are really doing well at the moment and so it’s natural that both men would be feeling the pressure a little bit. But for Pochettino he has the goodwill of having steered Spurs to their healthiest state in decades. Tottenham are now an established top four team and got to the Champions League final last season. The problem with that is that it increases expectations, which are sometimes difficult to manage. That’s the reality of his situation at this moment in time. But for Pellegrini, he only led the Hammers to 10th last term, and so far has spent a lot of money for not much progress on the pitch. In terms of who is more in danger of being sacked sometime soon, you’d have to say it’s the West Ham boss. However, the immense payout the two Davids would have to pay Pellegrini likely means that he will be afforded more time than most Irons fans would ideally like.
