Nick Wright assesses Manuel Pellegrinis Manchester City legacy as he prepares to make way for Pep Guardiola. Bill Bates 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 DeMarcus Lawrence Jersey . -- Washington Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo is going to the Pro Bowl as a replacement for San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks. Brice Butler Jersey . He reps the 4-1-6The insecurity of Canadian basketball fans is not what it once was with the home grown talent making its way to the big leagues, but it is still nice to see the local kids remembering where they come from once they make their way south. http://www.thecowboysfansmall.com/c-6-cowboys-deion-sanders-jersey.aspx . -- Packers cornerback Tramon Williams has been fined $26,250 for contact with an official, per NFL guidelines.DENVER - Peyton Manning laughed when his receivers played hot potato with his record-setting memento last weekend. He wont be nearly as jolly Thursday night if the San Diego Chargers play keep-away from the Denver Broncos high-powered offence as they did last year. The Broncos were held under 65 snaps just twice last season — both times by San Diego. The Chargers controlled the clock for more than 38 minutes in both games, including a 27-20 stunner at Denver on a Thursday night in December. That was Mannings only divisional loss since heading West in 2012 and the Broncos only loss at home. Last year they caught us sleeping, cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said. This year, we know they can come in and beat us. So, were preparing well, were preparing hard and I think well be a lot better. The Broncos (5-1) have beefed up their defence and that should make it harder for the Chargers (5-2) to keep Manning & Co. on the sideline again. It was tough last year, insisted Chargers coach Mike McCoy, who was Mannings co-ordinator in 2012 and saw firsthand how the five-time MVP maximizes his chances. Manning earned his 27th career AFC Offensive Player of the Week award for his four-TD masterpiece against San Francisco in which he supplanted Brett Favre as the NFLs career touchdowns leader. Manning is on pace for 51 TDs and 4,928 yards — just under his record-setting 2013 season in which he threw for 55 TDs and 5,477 yards. Where hes better is in passer rating (118.2 to 115.1) and touchdown proficiency (8.7 per cent of his throws to 8.3 per cent). I think Peyton is being Peyton, one of the greats of all time, McCoy said. Im happy to see him break the record ... but its not a shocker at all the way hes playing. Nor is it surprising that Philip Rivers is doing so well once again. After reviving his career under McCoy in 2013 and halting a three-year playoff drought, Rivers 113.0 passer rating trails only Manning in the AFC. And his 17-3 TD-to-interception ratio is similar to Mannings 19-3. Other things to watch for in Denvers second prime-time game in four nights: CORNERBACKS CORNUCOPIA: San Diegos secondary is banged up with cornerbacks Jason Verrett (shouulder, questionable) and Brandon Flowers (concussion, out) ailing. Chaz Green Jersey. So Shareece Wright and Richard Marshall could make their third straight start together in Denver. Some of the players that are starting this week started last year and they were able to beat us still, Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas said. So, our main thing is trying to go out and do something better than what we did last year. TERRIFIC TIGHT ENDS: This game features the top tight ends in the NFL: Julius Thomas, who has nine TD catches, and Antonio Gates, who has seven. We see it all the time here against Julius, so we know what a special player at that position can be and they certainly have one, Denver defensive co-ordinator Jack Del Rio said. I think when our guys went out and got Juice I think they were hoping that he could become something like Gates someday. Antonio has done it for quite a while and we understand the concerns, the issues, the matchup problems they present. OLD FRIENDS: Dwight Freeney didnt get to face Manning, his old Indianapolis teammate, last year because a thigh injury sidelined him after a month in San Diego. Mannings not exactly eager to face the outside linebacker until the postgame hugs and handshakes this time: Our offensive line knows weve got a challenge against their front, especially the guys having to block Dwight, Manning said. WELL-RESTED: Rivers figures neither team has an advantage because they just played on Sunday night and weve got to travel, so it evens out. The Broncos, though, were able to rest most of their starters in their blowout of the 49ers on Sunday night. The Broncos were gassed in last years Thursday night loss to San Diego as they were coming off a come-from-behind win over Tennessee in which Manning played 95 snaps. He took just 51 snaps Sunday night and joined several other starters on the sideline in the fourth quarter. RIVERS IN THE ROCKIES: Manning is 20-3 at home since joining the Broncos, but Rivers is no slouch in Denver, where hes 6-3. And hed be 7-2 if not for Ed Hochulis blown call on a last-minute Denver fumble in 2008. 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