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Manuel Pellegrini defends misfiring Manchester City strikers

By Allsports.com.gh
Sports News Manuel Pellegrini defends misfiring Manchester City strikers
JAN 25, 2015 LISTEN

Manuel Pellegrini feels it is understandable that his misfiring Manchester City attack is taking time to gel again following the club's injury problems.

Championship high-flyers Middlesbrough dumped City out of the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, winning 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium, which represented the second home game in a row that Pellegrini's men have failed to net following a crushing loss against Arsenal.

Defeat at Chelsea in the side's next match will leave City eight points adrift of the Premier League leaders.

And while Pellegrini is concerned that the champions head into a critical juncture in their season some way short of their prolific best, the Chilean is quick to point out that the returning duo of Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko are understandably yet to back firing on all cylinders.

He said: "I think the problem is that we had to change our style of play because we didn't have the strikers for around a month - after that the strikers come back but of course they need time maybe to have their best performance and we have to retain the way we normally play so we need some time.

"I am concerned about it [City's recent lack of goals] but not because of the Chelsea game, I am concerned because in the last two home games we didn't score a goal, and because in the last four games here at home we conceded two goals in each game, so maybe in one week we threw in the trash all what we did in December.

"We need to try and recover in attack and in defence."

City's attacking options will be boosted significantly when new January signing Wilfried Bony returns to make his debut following the end of the Ivory Coast's Africa Cup of Nations campaign.

Pellegrini has ruled out adding to his squad further this month, as he added: "No for the moment I don't think we are going to make any other movements."

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