Blues’ title hopes take another hit

MANCHESTER City manager Manuel Pellegrini accepts minds may have wandered to Barcelona as his side slipped up at Burnley.

City suffered a damaging 1-0 loss in their faltering Barclays Premier League title defence. Their chances of overhauling Chelsea at the top of the table now look slim and their hopes of rescuing the season could now come down to Wednesday’s daunting Champions League trip to Spain.

City must overturn a 2–1 deficit to reach the quarter–finals – a considerable task and a huge occasion that Pellegrini concedes may have been weighing on his players.

Since pulling level with Chelsea on New Year’s Day, City have managed to win just three of nine league games - a worrying sequence, and speculation over Pellegrini’s future in the job is growing.

He said: “Of course we are not doing well. You can see that from the points we have dropped. There are different reasons how we can improve and we must try and find the solution. The only thing I can tell you is that it’s not down to the effort of the players.”

City created more chances in the game, but generally lacked energy and a cutting edge. They might have snatched a point in injury time but Pablo Zabaleta had a strong penalty appeal turned down, with ref Andre Marriner awarding a free–kick the other way.