Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has insisted his side's faltering season is not a disaster.Pellegrini also claims he is still enjoying life at the Etihad Stadium even though he has been heavily criticised in recent weeks and pressure is mounting.
City's midweek Champions League exit to Barcelona, coming soon after Burnley appeared to deal a fatal blow to their Barclays Premier League title bid, has brought much scrutiny of their overall campaign.
Many believe Pellegrini now to be fighting for his position but the Chilean feels, given the toughness of the competition, his side are still in reasonable shape.
He said: "Everyone can say what they want to say or what they think will happen. The most important thing for me is to work in the same way we are doing because I think we are doing well.
"I think it was a very good year last year to win both titles.
"Maybe other people don't think how difficult it can be to do it because in England we have very strong teams in every year. It is not easy to win a double.
"This year all of us want to win the title every year. I don't think it is possible to do it (every year) but I think it is possible to fight to the end."
Pellegrini's side have won just three of their last 12 games in all competitions, going out of the FA Cup as well as falling six points behind Chelsea - having played a game more - in the Premier League.
Pellegrini is frustrated by his side's recent difficulties but it has not dimmed his or the club's ambition.
He said: "To try to win the Champions League is a target in the future. Every team that wants to be a big team must win the Champions League, but it is not easy to win it.
"It is very important to live in the domestic game. You must see your domestic games and try always to be involved for the title every year.
"Second position in a whole year I don't think is a disaster. We are not in eighth, ninth or 10th. Only Chelsea have done better than our team.
"We will try at least to keep second position and pressure Chelsea in the next nine games."
City will look to bounce back as they host West Brom on Saturday. With Chelsea not playing until Sunday, they can at least temporarily cut the deficit at the top.
But they will have to do so without key midfielder Yaya Toure, who suffered an Achilles injury during his disappointing outing at the Nou Camp.
Fellow midfielder James Milner is also set to miss out with the same knee problem that affected him against Burnley last weekend and Aleksandar Kolarov also has a muscle injury.
Midfielder Chris Brunt is banned for West Brom after accepting a Football Association charge for verbally abusing a match official.
Claudio Yacob is also suspended as he serves the final game of a ban following his red card in the FA Cup defeat at Aston Villa.
Ben Foster is out for at least a month with a knee injury suffered in the 1-0 win against Stoke last week, Brown Ideye and Saido Berahino continue to carry knocks but Victor Anichebe could return from a groin injury.
Boss Tony Pulis believes City are still a force to be reckoned with despite their poor form.
"Manchester City have had a little bit of a poor time of it over the last couple of weeks but they have still got some fantastic players," he said. "On their day, which they have proven many times, they are better than most. City are one of the best two teams in the Premier League. They have still got the squad in place to win their last nine games.
"Every game we play is important and we still need to get over the line, we still need at least two wins.
"I still want that 40 points, two wins and a draw from those nine games, but they are tough games. Everyone knew when I came in that it would be a tough back end of the season and that starts tomorrow at Manchester City."
Teenage defender Lubomir Satka is ready to answer Newcastle's call to arms as head coach John Carver attempts to cope with a defensive crisis.
The 19-year-old Slovakian was an unused substitute in last weekend's 3-0 Barclays Premier League defeat at Everton but could find himself called upon as Arsenal head for St James' Park on Saturday with Carver's resources stretched by skipper Fabricio Coloccini's suspension.
However, he insists he will not be fazed if he is handed a league debut for the club.
Satka told the club's official website, www.nufc.co.uk: "It doesn't scare me. I don't feel any pressure. I want to say I'm ready, but I guess you never know until you actually play. But I'm excited.
"If I get called upon, I'll try my best. Hopefully I'll make my debut and it'll be good for me to be tested against good players.
"Obviously, it would be a big test for me - I'm still young - but it would be a great learning experience."
Carver is unlikely to throw Satka in at the deep end against the Gunners, conscious of how a young player's confidence can be affected if things do not go well, but the fact that he has few options at the back means he could be involved at some stage.
Coloccini's absence has simply exacerbated a problem caused by a lengthy injury list which will rob the Magpies of Steven Taylor, Paul Dummett and Massadio Haidara, once again underlining the risk the club took when deciding not to bring in cover during the January transfer window.
The timing could hardly be worse for Carver, who is attempting to persuade not only owner Mike Ashley and managing director Lee Charnley, but sceptical fans too, that he is the man to succeed Alan Pardew on a permanent basis.
However, he at least has the support of the occupant of the opposition dug-out on Saturday, with Arsene Wenger having voiced the opinion that he has "the qualities to do the job".
Carver said: "That's nice, because people in the game understand what is going on. He (Wenger) understands that if he was here in these circumstances, he would have a problem dealing with it.
"We've seen sides in the past when they pick up four or five injuries, it affects them, especially when it's their best players. We've got eight or nine - and six or seven would be in the team."
Coloccini will sit out after failing in his red card appeal.
The Argentina international was sent off for a challenge on Aaron Lennon during Sunday's 3-0 defeat at Everton and will be suspended for three games, joining striker Papiss Cisse on the sidelines as he serves the second stage of his seven-match ban.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger wants his team to focus on maintaining their own performances levels over the final nine Barclays Premier League games rather than worry about whether leaders Chelsea might slip up again.
Despite having gone out of the Champions League to Monaco on away goals after Wednesday night's 2-0 win at the Stade Louis II Stadium, with a run of eight victories from the last nine league matches, Arsenal are certainly in fine domestic form, having also progressed to the semi-finals of the FA Cup, where they will face Reading at Wembley on April 18.
Following last weekend's Premier League results, which saw Manchester City lose and leaders Chelsea held to a draw at Stamford Bridge by Southampton, Blues boss Jose Mourinho declared the Gunners now back in the title race, albeit still seven points behind and having played a match more.
Arsenal will host Chelsea at the end of April, but Wenger maintains his men must first continue to deliver consistent results and not concern themselves with the form of other sides.
"At the moment we are too far away from Chelsea, but we have an opportunity every week to get closer and for that we need positive results from us, and negative results from Chelsea. The only thing we can master is positive results from us," said Wenger, who takes his team to Newcastle on Saturday.
"I believe Chelsea still has a very good cushion and very good security."
Wenger continued: "It is very tight.
"We are on the neck of Man City, but straight behind us we have Man United and Liverpool, even Tottenham and Southampton are not completely out of it.
"But we just have to focus on our performances and our strengths. I do not count on the weaknesses of any of our opponents.
"It is down to our performances until the end of the season."
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