Former Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has questioned the club's decision to announce the arrival of Pep Guardiola during the season, with the Swede throwing his support behind outgoing boss Manuel Pellegrini.
Pellegrini will step aside for Pep Guardiola at season's end, after City confirmed the capture of the Bayern Munich coach at the beginning of February.
And Eriksson - who led City in 2007-08 before they were bought out by Abu Dhabi United Group - feels for Pellegrini after the Chilean delivered a third trophy to the club via Sunday's League Cup win over Liverpool.
"Manchester City still have a chance to win the title, it is never good when things like this come out in the middle of the season," Eriksson told Omnisport.
"It is an unreal situation. You have the team and you know you are only going to have them for a few months more.
"I have seen this before and it is almost never good."
The former Barcelona boss is also under pressure to secure a Champions League for City - should Pellegrini fail to do so - which the club's hierarchy so desperately crave.
"If you take Manchester City of today, there is always going to be pressure," he added.
"They have money, they invest money and they have fantastic football players.
"The pressure will be there but Guardiola is used to that."
