City players warn Pellegrini title will slip away unless he cures travel sickness

City players warn Pellegrini title will slip away unless he cures travel sickness

Manuel Pellegrini’s players have warned him he must sort out Manchester City’s away form or see any hope of regaining the Barclays Premier League title disappear.

City’s new manager has watched his team collect only four points out of a possible 18 on their travels this season, leaving them in eighth place at the start of the international break.

And a side who have conceded only two goals at  the Etihad Stadium have leaked double figures away from home. Experienced defender Pablo Zabaleta admitted the fears. The Argentinian said: ‘We have dominated all our away games, but it is true, we cannot keep a clean sheet. When you play away, you must defend much better.

Away day Blues: Manuel Pellergini has seen Manchester City lose four games on the road

Sort it out! Manchester City players have warned Pellegrini they have to improve to win the title

AWAY DAY BLUES

25 August            Cardiff 3-2 Man City
28 September      Aston Villa 3-2 Man City
27 October          Chelsea 2-1 Man City
10 November       Sunderland 1-0 Man City

‘There is a long way to go, but when you lose points like that, it will be really difficult to fight for the title.’

England defender Joleon Lescott also questioned the desire among City’s highly paid stars after their shock defeat at Sunderland. He admitted: ‘I don’t think we deserved to lose, but maybe they had a bit more appetite in the first half than we showed at certain times.

‘It’s hard to say (what’s gone wrong). We have won the odd one here and there, but it’s too stop-start and we need to knuckle down and pick up some points.’

Former Malaga and Real Madrid boss Pellegrini is still coming to terms with the intensity of the Premier League, where smaller clubs set a bigger challenge than those in the lower half of La Liga in Spain.

Loss 1: Manuel Pellegrini was stunned 3-2 by newcomers Cardiff at the Cardiff City Stadium

Loss 2: They lost by the same 3-2 score against Aston Villa at Villa Park

Loss 3: City lost a top of the table clash against Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge

Loss 4: Manchester City lose 1-0 to bogey team Sunderland at the Stadium of Light

NEXT FOUR ON THE ROAD

04 December          West Brom
07 December          Southampton
21 December          Fulham
01 January              Swansea

Zabaleta added: ‘When you have a defeat like this, you want to play as quickly as you can, but we now go into an international break. After that we will face Spurs at home, which will be a crucial game for us.

‘We are so disappointed. We had a great chance to reach third position, especially as we knew beforehand that Chelsea had dropped points on Saturday and that Spurs had lost just before us.
‘It was a great opportunity, but unfortunately we didn’t take it.
'After going ahead, Sunderland defended with 11 players behind the ball and closed the space every time. We had no space to create chances.

‘That can make it hard but credit to them, they are in a tough position and are fighting against relegation.

‘But we need to focus on what we are doing and that means improving our performances away.’

Pellegrini: We had possession & chances we just didn't score

Appetite: Pablo Zabaleta (above) and Joleon Lescott (below) insist City need to show more hunger

Meanwhile, Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi is set to be sidelined for up to two months with a hamstring injury he sustained during Sunday’s victory over Real Betis.

Messi limped off after 21 minutes of the 4-1 win after injuring his left hamstring.

He underwent further tests yesterday and Barcelona revealed the Argentinian is likely to be absent for between ‘six and eight weeks’.

A Barca statement read: ‘The player has suffered a torn muscle in the femoral biceps of his left leg. The approximate time he will be out is between six and eight weeks. The first part of his recovery will take place in Barcelona and the second, in Buenos Aires.’

That's torn it! Lionel Messi has been ruled out for two months with a hamstring injury

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