LONDON — Manuel Pellegrini is a man with bloodshot eyes, but a clear vision of what he would like his team to be.
He knows that his time as coach at Manchester City is almost over, because City has already hired Pep Guardiola to replace him after the season. If anything, that has increased Pellegrini’s desire to take Manchester City further than it has ever gone in the Champions League, and a 3-1 win in Ukraine against Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday has put it firmly down that path.
Barring a most unlikely reverse in the second leg in Manchester on March 15, the club will reach the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time.