MANCHESTER, England -- Flashing rarely sighted smiles, unruffled by the prospect of taking on Barcelona, Manuel Pellegrini perso

MANCHESTER, England -- Flashing rarely sighted smiles, unruffled by the prospect of taking on Barcelona, Manuel Pellegrini personified the calm and confidence at Manchester City where chaos once reigned. Clearance Nike Free Nz . Even a declaration that City is now the dominant power in Manchester didnt seem so farfetched, albeit unusually eye-catching from a manager renowned for his intentionally bland public comments. Rather than attempting to set off a verbal skirmish with Manchester United, this was just a statement of fact on Monday by a manager with a spring in his step ahead of the biggest European game in the clubs long, but not so illustrious, history. Well, not compared with Uniteds. That could all be changing, Pellegrini predicts. Barcelonas previous trips to Manchester for competitive games have always been to Old Trafford, failing to win on four visits against United. But the Spanish champions will play a first competitive game against City on Tuesday, in the Champions League round of 16, facing a team third in the Premier League while United is fading in seventh and unlikely to qualify for European soccers elite competition next season. "If we only consider this season, there is just one club in Manchester and its ours," Pellegrini said in Spanish. "But you cannot forget what United has done in the previous years. We are aiming to keep growing by winning many trophies -- not just national but international trophies. We are fighting for four titles this year." Just 15 years ago, though, City was in the depths of the third tier of English soccer before embarking on an uneasy ascent back from the wilderness. After returning to the Premier League in 2002 and staying in business when it faced oblivion, the wealth of Abu Dhabis ruling family has enabled City to become the biggest spenders in world soccer since 2008. The takeover had City supporters start to dream about knocking United off its pedestal, but despite winning the Premier League in 2012, only since Alex Fergusons retirement from United last year has the balance of power looked as if it was seriously shifting. "We have to be patient because you cannot change the team from one day to another," Pellegrini said. "We have to keep the philosophy of the style and for that you need time." Under David Moyes, United seems to be fading as a force on the pitch, just as Barcelonas cloak of invincibility has slipped away since manager Pep Guardiola left in 2012. Yet while Barcelona is on top of the Spanish standings, in a three-way battle for the title with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, United is not a Premier League threat -- for now. But it will take far longer for City to usurp Uniteds commercial might or global fan base. A victory over Barcelona would go some way to enhancing Citys global credibility after the expensively assembled squad slipped out of the Champions League at the group stage in the previous two seasons when Roberto Mancini was still in charge. Mancinis departure after last season ended without a trophy and enabled City to bring in a more composed manager who has enjoyed a tranquil first season at the helm. "This club is trying to develop in all areas, and so far we have a good season, but we must finish that way," Pellegrini said. City midfielder Yaya Toure left Barcelona just before the Catalans went on to sweep five trophies in 2011 alone. Toure has only won the Premier League and FA Cup at City, but sees a victory over Barcelona as an opportunity to show there is more to come from this team. "Barcelona are at the top level in the world and if we want to move on and one day be one of the top clubs in the world, we have to play against those teams," Toure said. Cheap Nike Free Nz . Jovanovski, the 2012 champ seeded fifth, will meet surprise Japanese qualifier Misa Eguchi on Friday. Eguchi, ranked 183rd, qualified for her first WTA main draw this week, then beat No. Nike Free Cheap Nz Wholesale . Andrew Luck couldnt believe his ears. Colts fans couldnt believe the scoreboard, and the Kansas City Chiefs couldnt believe their incredibly bad luck. http://www.cheapnikefreenz.com/ . With a win tonight, Buehrle will match Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka for the most wins in the majors with 11. Buehrle is 10-4 with a 2.32 earned run average, but has lost his last three starts, including a 7-3 setback at Yankee Stadium last Wednesday.CLEVELAND -- Jim Thomes point-the-bat hitting stance, a powerful symbol of the most successful era in Cleveland Indians history, is now a permanent fixture at Progressive Field. The Indians honoured their career leader in home runs on Saturday by unveiling a statue of Thome -- his bat pointed menacingly at the pitcher -- to rest in the ballparks centre field monument area. An emotional Thome, who played for Cleveland from 1991-2002 and again in 2011, said he signed an honorary one-day contract with the team so he could retire as a member of the Indians. "It feels so good to be home again, in this ballpark, where it all began," Thome said as voice cracked several times. "It gives me goose-bumps." Thomes statue is just the second erected by the club, joining one for Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller. Thome will certainly join Feller in Cooperstown one day. Thome, who last played in 2012 for Baltimore, hit 337 homers for Cleveland. With him in the lineup, the Indians won six AL Central titles, advanced to the World Series in 1995 and 1997 and played in front of 455 consecutive sellout crowds. "I look at that statue and I think of our teams in the 90s," he said. "There are so many guys from those teams who could have a statue." While there was some debate whether Thome, who left Cleveland after the 02 season to sign with Philadelphia, deserved a statue, theres no denying his legacy with the Indians. "I want to thank the fans," he said. "Ill never forget the atmosphere you guys created here every night." Thome signed his one-day contract on the field before the game and was given a long standing ovation by the crowd. He threw out the first pitch to former teammate Sandy Alomar Jr., the Indians first-base coach. Indians desiignated hitter Jason Giambi, currently on the 60-day disabled list with a knee injury, temporarily gave up his No. Wholesale Nike Free Nz. 25 to honour Thomes one-day contract. Giambi will assume his number again when hes activated. Thome had a most unique stance. He would point his bat toward the pitcher to get ready, then pull it back and prepare to swing. And that swing usually resulted in good things for the Indians. "Theres an old saying in baseball," said Mike Hargrove, who managed Thome for nine seasons in Cleveland. "Good players can make a manager, a general manager and a hitting coach look real smart. Jimmy did his part." Thome developed an especially close relationship with Charlie Manuel, who was his hitting coach and later his manager with the Indians. "Hes like my son, in a way," Manuel said. "Cleveland got better when Jim Thome came to town." The left-handed slugger also had a flair for the dramatic. He hit the longest home run in ballpark history, a 511-foot blast on July 3, 1999, against the Kansas City that landed close to where his statue stands. The Indians have put up a plaque nearby to honour the homer. And in a moment straight out of a movie, Thome homered following a pregame ceremony in which the Indians announced they were building his statue on Sept. 23, 2011. Thome belted 52 home runs in 2002, the club record for a season. In 2001 he hit 49 homers -- the most by a left-handed hitter in club history -- and drove in 124 runs, both career highs. Several of Thomes former teammates were in attendance this weekend, including Kenny Lofton, Carlos Baerga and Travis Hafner. John Hart, who built the Indians team in the 90s as general manager, was also on hand as well as several members of Thomes family. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '