Gareth Barry has stressed the importance of Manchester City returning to winning ways at Birmingham.
After clambering their way into Premier League title contention, City suffered a major setback at Aston Villa 11 days ago. It leaves the Blues knowing they can ill afford further slip-ups if they are to exert meaningful pressure on their championship rivals.
"After a defeat, it is always important to start winning again really quickly," said Barry.
"We are chomping at the bit to get back into the Premier League at St Andrew's and get another three points.
"We can't afford to lose more ground because before we know it we will start to slip down the table, so it is a massive game for us."
Yet even Barry's words show how far City have come in the past two and a half years.
Just to be talking about losing ground on the league leaders is a quantum leap away from the repeated frustrations of the Thaksin Shinawatra era, which in itself was supposed to herald a new dawn for a club who have so often failed to match the lofty expectations that surround them.
"It is important that we do keep looking up," said Barry.
"There are some great teams around us that are starting to put runs together, so we have to do it too.
"We want to try and hang on until the death."
Source: PA
