Outgoing Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini warned his replacement Pep Guardiola not to expect a dream debut in the Premier League next season.
Guardiola will depart his Bayern Munich post at the end of the season to take the reins at City with the objective of transforming the club into a European powerhouse.
"Of course it's a new challenge if it's your first time in the Premier League," said Pellegrini.
"I'm not just talking about Guardiola, I'm also talking about myself, in the first year I arrived here.
"But when you've worked in Europe for so many years as a manager, you're prepared to win that challenge.
"I'm sure that, being in a difficult league, Guardiola will be prepared to do well in it."
"The reasons that we couldn't get near the winners was firstly because Leicester were the best team and played very well, and secondly because we played a lot more games," said Pellegrini.
"A third reason is that we continued in the Champions League to the semi-final and had a disadvantage against Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham.
"That makes it more difficult to reach the first four places and that’s why it will be more difficult in years to come to reach the top four."
