Manuel Pellegrini Quotes

The season lasts a long time, and we need not only a high-level squad but also a big squad.

When you bring one of your top scorers, your top players off the bench, it really gives your team balance.

As a football team, we don't have any backups. We don't consider anybody a backup.

I think to progress in major tournaments and to be at your best, you need a big squad, and you need to rotate it.

Managers now don't just use 11 players; they have to care about all the squad of 25 or more players.

The coach can only choose 11 players to start. It is a difficult decision.

The old adage that you shouldn't change a winning team doesn't apply in modern international football because managers have to study the opposition and pick players who exploit their weaknesses.

I know one of my best qualities is to read the game for my players, is to read the opponent, is to identify every detail about the opponent.

Of course I want to play every game, but only 11 can start.

It's up to the coach to decide who is in the best shape to play each match.

Having 18 or 20 class players is a luxurious problem, and it doesn't mean that you have to play them all.

The most important thing is that Spain have a good team no matter who plays. It is always nice to see your name spoken but the important thing is that the national team does well. But having good players for every position is important because there are always injuries, drops of form.

I think what we've tried to preach to our players is we're going to let the best players play.

If you are not playing a player, any player, for two, three, four games, then you don't have to give a reason for that. But if it gets to eight or nine games, then you have to explain the situation. What's going on?

I want to play every single player, but I can only play 11 at a time.

You need to have a big squad; it's important when you're in the Champions League, with the amount of games we've got.

Our players know that we try to come in each week and put ourselves in the best position to have a chance to win, and sometimes that means some people playing more than others; sometimes it means using different personnel groupings in different weeks.

If you have a lot of injuries for a long period, that makes it more normal to bring in new players.

Football never stops, and that's why you need a big squad.

The greatest ally you have to get things working well and the players performing as a team is the bench. Don't be afraid to use it, either for the star player or anyone else.

I don't play them a lot of minutes. I have great starters. I have All-Stars, world champions.

It's very difficult to say that a player is irreplaceable because the nature of football means that someone always steps in to take the shirt and provides different elements to your team.

Football is a game of errors. You want to make your rivals commit them and to avoid them yourself.

It's part of the beauty of the job in dealing with this is you have to have a plan, and that's why you can't only train 11 players; you train your whole team.

Looking at the team sheets, you're never quite sure one weekend to the next who's going to be in a team and who isn't.