Manuel Pellegrini accuses Man City of relaxing after Champions League qualification

Pellegrini's side have been out of sorts since qualifying for the knockout stages

MANUEL PELLEGRINI has accused his players of losing their edge after qualifying for the Champions League last 16 with two games to spare.

 

Since their 3-1 win against Sevilla at the start of November, City have been held by Aston Villa, humiliated by Liverpool and beaten by Juventus - while scoring only two goals.

But Pellegrini believes back-to-back home games against Southampton on Saturday and Hull in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday provides the chance to prevent a mini-slump from turning into the sort of disastrous mid-season decline that wrecked their hopes of silverware last season.

He said: "Maybe when we qualified for the Champions League knockout stages it was the week our performances dipped. Maybe, subconsciously, the players relaxed and that reflects in two or three moments in a game and that in turn decides the results.

 

"But we are still in a good position in every competition. Now it is important to be a solid, consistent team and to recover our normal style of play."

The good news for City is that playmaker David Silva is back after a nine-game absence with an ankle injury. The bad news is that Joe Hart (hamstring) will miss at least two games and Vincent Kompany is still out with his troublesome calf.

 

Pellegrini will welcome back David Silva after a nine game absence, who may provide the boost

Victory for the Saints would inflict two consecutive home defeats on City for the first time in seven years - but the visitors have not won at the Etihad Stadium since 2004.

Shane Long will lead the line for Southampton in the absence of the suspended Graziano Pelle, with Sadio Mane buzzing around in behind.