Pressure Is on Manuel Pellegrini Ahead of Crucial Period for Manchester City

Manuel Pellegrini’s time in charge of Manchester City can, for the most part, be defined by its serenity. His calm handling of the media was the club’s antidote to the turbulent Roberto Mancini era, and two trophies in his first season were secured without too many hiccups or periods of poor form.

That’s all changed now, though. For the first time, he’s under huge pressure. Whichever way you cut it, City’s form has been dreadful this season. Six wins in their 14 matches in all competitions. Only two wins in their last six home matches, one of which came against Championship opposition in the shape of Sheffield Wednesday. Their run of four wins from their last 12 games is their worst set of results since late 2009.

They face Manchester United on Sunday desperate for a win. Chelsea, who play QPR the day before, are likely to be nine points ahead of City by the time the Blues kick off at the Etihad. The pressure is well and truly on.

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What at the moment can be termed a “wobble” will become a full-blown crisis if City don’t get three points against United, who, despite having one point less after nine games than they did last season under David Moyes, have shown signs of recovering their confidence. A last-minute equaliser against Chelsea in their last match will certainly have helped them going into this one, and Louis van Gaal’s summer spending spree, which saw them sign—amongst a host of others—Angel Di Maria, a player capable of becoming a Premier League great, has given them an edge going forward.

And City will have to do without David Silva, their best player so far this season, and the man who pulls the strings for them in attack. It’s a devastating blow, with Pellegrini admitting in his Friday press conference that the Spaniard is likely to be out for three weeks.

“David has a problem in his ligament,” he said. “Maybe he will be out around three weeks, so he will not be available for the derby.

“Yaya [Toure] has a small problem, we will see him tomorrow, but I think he will not have any problems.”

The big games continue into next week for City, too, with a crucial match at home to CSKA Moscow on Wednesday in the Champions League. The Blues currently sit third in Group E, with just two points from three games and their chances of progression from the group stage hanging in the balance.

Two season-defining games in the next five days, and City simply have to win both.

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But Pellegrini will know it's a period which provides a perfect opportunity to reignite City's stuttering season. The whole picture will change with two wins. The negative media coverage and dour feeling amongst the fans will alter rapidly.

There’s never a better way of restoring a feel-good factor than beating your rivals, and three points against the Russians, coupled with a defeat for Roma in Munich against Bayern, will see City move into the driving seat for qualification.

This is Pellegrini’s first real test of character, and it will be interesting to see if he can negotiate City’s path back to form.

The game against United, though, is the perfect opportunity to kick-start City’s season.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.