Barry calls for instant response

Gareth Barry has stressed the importance of Manchester City returning to winning ways at Birmingham tonight.

After clambering their way into Premier League title contention, City suffered a major setback at Aston Villa 11 days ago.

It leaves the Blues knowing they can ill afford further slip–ups if they are to exert meaningful pressure on their championship rivals.

And that means overcoming a side that has lost just twice on home soil this season and last week booked their place in the Carling Cup final.

"After a defeat, it is always important to start winning again really quickly," said Barry.

"We can't afford to lose more ground because, before we know it, we will start to slip down the table, so it is a massive game for us."

Barry's words show how far City have come in the past two and a half years.

Just to be talking about losing ground on the league leaders is a quantum leap away from the repeated frustrations of the Thaksin Shinawatra era, which in itself was supposed to herald a new dawn for a club which has so often failed to match the lofty expectations that surround them.