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Joe Hart says players are to blame for Manchester City's woes, not Pellegrini

Jason Cairnduff / Action Images

Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart provided a candid assessment regarding under-fire manager Manuel Pellegrini after admitting the Chilean should not be blamed for the team's poor form.

A year after capturing the Premier League title for a second time in three seasons, City currently sit in fourth place with little hope of retaining the league crown. The situation could get worse if they struggle to maintain their place in the Champions League if their run of lackluster results continue.

It's a regression that's led to rampant speculation about Pellegrini's job security, but Hart declared that the City boss is not solely responsible for the dip in form

"That's a team of winners. When you don't win, it's going to be difficult. We want to win, we've got high standards," Hart admitted to Sky Sports' Super Sunday.

"People have been disappointed in their own performances, we've let the manager down a few times in certain games and we've baffled ourselves a little bit because we feel like we've got the quality to beat anyone and that's not been the case.

"(Pellegrini) has got principles that we work to, that we train to and, like I say, we've let him down a few times in that case."

Last weekend's loss to city rivals Manchester United appeared to be the tipping point for many. The defeat knocked them down to the final Champions League position in the table and came on the heels of disappointing losses to Crystal Palace and Burnley.

While it's obvious that frustration is growing in the stands and around Manchester, Hart revealed that the squad continues to trust Pellegrini and his tactics.

"(Pellegrini) has been great. He's hard, he kind of says it how it is and you can't ask for much more than that from a manager," Hart said.

"He obviously has the underlying goal that we've got a season to complete and we need to stick together and we need to work hard.

"I think he understands we've all got the same goals, we all want to achieve and we're going to work together as a unit, as players and staff to finish the season well."

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