‘You don’t become a good or bad coach overnight’, said the MCFC Supporters Club spokesman to MM as he stands up for manager Manuel Pellegrini to stay with the club.

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini deemed Champions League qualification ‘not impossible’ despite his side’s 2-1 defeat to CSKA Moscow.

City host CSKA Moscow on Wednesday night in Group E and are currently two points behind Roma, who face a tricky away fixture against giants Bayern Munich.

The anxiety at the Etihad in the closing minutes of the Manchester derby that gripped the fans and transmitted to the players cannot go on if City are to mount a charge for the Champions League knockout stages.

City take on Alan Pardew’s Newcastle United in the fourth round of the Capital One Cup at The Etihad ahead of Sunday’s game against Manchester United.

City are on the brink of Champions League elimination while the Premier League already seems destined for London pacesetters Chelsea

Manchester City’s pleas for Uefa to take action against CSKA Moscow after a small section of fans watched their closed-door Champions League game have fallen on deaf ears, after the governing body decreed no rules had been broken.

CSKA Moscow were ordered to play the game against City, which ended 2-2 after the Russians equalised late on, behind closed doors because their fans had displayed far-right banners against AS Roma last month and racist behaviour last season

City must win tonight in the Champions League to have any realistic hopes of qualifying from Group E having only picked up one point from their opening two games

City face two of the same group opponents in Bayern and CSKA, plus AS Roma, as they seek to add a European title to their growing trophy cabinet.