"?Manuel Pellegrini has hinted that he struggled to motivate Manchester City's first-team squad after he announced his impending departure from the club.
During a routine press conference in February, Pellegrini confirmed that he would be leaving the Etihad in the summer and that Bayern Munich's highly-coveted boss Pep Guardiola would be replacing him.
The news shocked the world and sent the media into a tailspin as eyebrows were raised about the timing of the announcement.
The Sky Blues were still in the race for the Premier League title at that stage of the season, but they quickly ran out of gas and Pellegrini has finally admitted he harbours some regrets.
"Yes, it was my decision" he told "?the Guardian. "After Guardiola said he was coming to England it was my decision because all the media was talking about Guardiola here, Guardiola in Arsenal, Guardiola in Manchester United.
"It was not fair for all managers - when everyone knew he was coming here.
"If I ask if I would do that again - I have some doubts. Yes, I am very self-critical about what I do. Always. I don't want to use [this] as an excuse but it was so difficult to work after that. Not for me, for the players.
"It's impossible to know if it was the right decision. But when you see the consequence of losing immediately three games in a row, when you are winning the last five or something.
"The most difficult thing in a group is when you break something. Something was broken in that moment so, as I say, the complete glass is broken. Then, you must try to rearrange it."
Despite clinching the Capital One Cup and guiding the club to their first-ever Champions League semi-final, Pellegrini's final season in charge of the Citizens was branded a failure.
Guardiola will now have to pick up the pieces but he will be given the funds to recruit world-class superstars.
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