Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said Manchester City's mid-season announcement of Pep Guardiola's appointment hurt Manuel Pellegrini's chances of success with the club this term.
City were in second place and three points behind eventual Premier League winners Leicester City when it was announced on February 1 that Guardiola would replace Pellegrini at the helm of the first-team after the end of the season.
Heading into the final two weeks of the campaign, they are now 13 points behind Leicester and in danger of finishing outside of the Champions League places, with Manchester United sitting four points behind them and with a game in hand.
And Wenger feels the announcement that Pellegrini would be out of a job in the summer stripped the Chilean of all power, leading to their downfall in the English top flight and their Champions League semi-final elimination.
"They invested huge amount of money for years and years and years. It looks like this plan has been coming," said Wenger, whose Arsenal will face City in the Premier League on Sunday.
"Once they took [sporting director] Txiki Begiristain [who worked with Guardiola at Barcelona] you could see what was coming. He has always known that in the back of his mind I think.
"It is difficult because you have less power when the players know you are moving out."
Wenger's men tragel to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday looking for three points against Pellegrini's men as they try to secure third place in the league, thus ensuring they book a place in the Champions League grpi stage.
"We want to be directly in the Champions League next year, everyone fights to be in there," the Frenchman added.
"When you do it, everyone says it’s normal. When you look at the teams who are not in, then you realise how big it is.
"No one wants to be in the Europa League until the semi-final maybe. You want to be in the Champions League."
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- Goal