Manchester City have won just one of their last six Premier League games and are in serious danger of missing out on next season's Champions League unless Manuel Pellegrini can turn it around quickly.
Here are five key elements that may prove crucial in determining City's fate this season.
Here are five key elements that may prove crucial in determining City's fate this season.
Ditch Wilfried Bony and trust Kelechi Iheanacho
Ever since Bony recovered from calf and shin problems in time for the Capital One Cup final in February, the Ivorian has been Pellegrini's choice as a strike partner for Sergio Aguero or his first alternative from the bench ahead of Nigerian teenager Iheanacho.
Bony had been out for nearly two months and Iheanacho scored five times from five starts, including a brilliant hat trick in the 4-0 FA Cup fourth round win at Aston Villa on Jan. 30.
The Wembley final headed into extra time and Bony came on with 10 minutes remaining while Iheanacho remained on the bench. The former Swansea City striker has started two games and come off the bench twice since then but is still searching for his first goal of the calendar year with alarming misses against Villa in the Premier League and Manchester United in last Sunday's derby defeat at the Etihad.
Iheanacho, meanwhile, has played just 68 minutes of City's last six games while his side have failed to score in four of them.
Pellegrini needs a KDB boost
Kevin De Bruyne injured his knee ligaments in the dying minutes of the Capital One Cup semifinal victory over Everton and it has proved to be a pivotal moment in City's season. The Belgian's creativity and goalscoring ability has been sorely missed, with City desperately short of attacking options.
De Bruyne is only second to Aguero for attacking impact with five goals and nine assists this season. City have won just two Premier League games since his injury and have scored more than one goal in the seven games without him just once -- the 4-0 win over rock-bottom Aston Villa.
With David Silva struggling to find his best form due to an ankle problem and Bony, Raheem Sterling and Jesus Navas failing to make much of an impression in recent weeks, Pellegrini will be desperate to have De Bruyne back for the final eight games of the season to give some much-needed creativity.
Call time on Demichelis
Martin Demichelis' Manchester derby horror show must sadly be the end for the veteran defender.
The Argentine was meant to be a stop-gap signing by Pellegrini when he joined the club for £4.2m from Atletico Madrid in 2013 but Demichelis has made more than 100 appearances for the club in three campaigns, including 29 so far this season.
He was horribly exposed by the speed and skill of United's teenage striker Marcus Rashford on Sunday. The 18-year-old embarrassed him for the only goal of the game and should have won a penalty after teasing Demichelis into an unnecessary challenge in the box.
The 35-year-old is the oldest player in City's squad and it's starting to show. Even United boss Louis van Gaal said: "Demichelis looked like the years are catching up with him. He was a very good defender, he was my centre-back in Bayern, but that is the life of football."
City have lost 41 percent of the 17 matches he has started this season and have kept just three clean sheets in the Premier League with him in the side as opposed to nine without him.
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