Manuel Pellegrini has promised Manchester City will keep fighting for the Premier League title as the champions try to salvage a season on the brink of implosion.
Pellegrini has been forced to answer pointed questions about his job security over the last few days after City's latest underwhelming Champions League campaign came to an abrupt halt in the last 16.
While losing 1-0 in Barcelona is no disgrace, it took a brilliant display from City goalkeeper Joe Hart to prevent a much heavier defeat as Pellegrini's side delivered the latest in a growing list of lacklustre displays.
City return to Premier League duty against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, with no time to lick their wounds as they try to overhaul leaders Chelsea, who are six points clear with a game in hand.
Even their place in the top four is no longer certain as consecutive away defeats to Liverpool and Burnley have seen second placed City's lead over third placed Arsenal eroded to a single point, with Manchester United a point further back in fourth place.
But Pellegrini was determined to accentuate the positive ahead of Albion's visit to Manchester as he insisted City haven't had a bad season.
"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," he said.
"Second position in the Premier League 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.
"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."
- Fine form -
If City win against West Brom, they will hope for another slip from Chelsea, who visit struggling Hull City on Sunday in need of a spark following a 1-1 draw against Southampton last weekend, which came hot on the heels of their Champions League exit against Paris Saint-Germain.
Arsenal travel to Newcastle United, where they will be bidding to record a sixth consecutive league victory.
Arsene Wenger's side tumbled out of the Champions League in the last 16 despite winning 2-0 at Monaco on Tuesday, but they have been in fine form, with the 3-1 first-leg loss to Leonardo Jardim's side the only time they have failed to win in their last nine matches.
No team, however, can match Liverpool's current form, with Brendan Rodgers' side approaching Sunday's showdown against old foes Manchester United on the back of a 13-game unbeaten run in the league.
United were the last team to beat Liverpool, winning 3-0 at Old Trafford in mid-December, but Rodgers' men have rediscovered their swagger in the three months since then, and will leapfrog their rivals if they win at Anfield.
"Psychologically, it's massive for us, because if we win, we go above United and we get a foot in the top four," Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana told talkSPORT radio.
"But it's not all decisive on this game. There are still another eight games after.
"There are constantly going to be twists and turns, I'm sure. Tottenham and Southampton are still in and around the fight as well, so they are going to want to be picking up points to make it almost three teams out of six getting into the top four."
After weeks of patchy performances, United blew off the cobwebs by beating Tottenham 3-0 last Sunday and winger Ashley Young has encouraged his teammates to put Liverpool on the back foot.
"We will go there looking for the three points," he said.
"We are going there to win. You don't go to a place to try and draw. The performance against Tottenham was brilliant, but we have a tough game coming up at Liverpool."
Fixtures
Saturday (1500 GMT unless otherwise stated):
Aston Villa v Swansea City, Manchester City v West Bromwich Albion (1245 GMT), Newcastle United v Arsenal, Southampton v Burnley, Stoke City v Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City, West Ham United v Sunderland (1730 GMT)
Sunday (1600 GMT unless otherwise stated):
Hull City v Chelsea, Liverpool v Manchester United (1330 GMT), Queens Park Rangers v Everton
Source: AFP