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We've all accepted that we're out of the title race now, right? Right. Even if we were to win our remaining six fixtures, which seems unlikely given the way in which the players performed last night, we would finish on 86 points, while Chelsea could potentially reach 87, Liverpool 89. A draw in the game between those two most likely wouldn't be enough for City either. So, yes, I'd say that we're done for another year.

There are a number of reasons why this season, rather the way in which it looks set to finish, has been, or is, so disappointing. 

Firstly, it promised so much, but looks set to yield little other than a league cup win (which I damn well celebrated) and Champions League qualification. I never bought into the quadruple shouts, because there's no way this squad is good or deep enough for that. But a domestic treble definitely seemed possible given, well, all the goals.

Also, with Ferguson retiring, we seemed to have a clear run at the title. It sounds arrogant to say that, but United employed a clown, Chelsea didn't really have a striker, and at the time, no other side really came into the picture where the league title was concerned, which is part of the reason why Liverpool winning the title would Rodgers' achievement all the more spectacular.

But the goals have dried up since January, and with them the confidence and possibilities which they brought. Obviously, as the season progresses, legs become weary and the players are less likely to be able to win games by three or four goals every couple of weeks. So, they need to be able to grind out wins, like we did at Hull, but this side and manager don't seem capable of doing it on a regular basis.

When all is going well, Pellegrini is probably the perfect manager, but over the last month, he has watched more or less our whole season collapse and simply hasn't reacted in games. I'm not going to be one of those sarky cunts who takes the piss out of him being friendly with staff and players, because that's probably important and part of the reason we were putting five past sides each week over the first three months of the season. But he needs to show more. He seems to have too much faith in 4-4-2, too much naïveté, and we're often overrun in midfield, the best example being Bayern Munich at home, the most painful example being Sunderland at home last night. You can get away with it when Yaya and Silva play because of how well they keep the ball, but without them and only four in midfield, we're pretty much fucked.

Pellegrini is a problem, but he has done a lot of good (just look at Silva and Yaya), and I'm not going to pine for Mancini because our entire season last year was a joke, not least the last third of it.

However, there are other problems, perhaps more concerning problems in the squad. The first of which is Vincent Kompany. It's all well and good saying that Kompany deserves a better partner in defence, but let's not pretend that, but for an excellent six weeks either side of February, he has been infrequently good over the last two years or so. At times this season, it has seemed that he almost wants to do ALL OF THE DEFENDING. He is often caught a yard or so out of line, and is making so many mistakes, both minor such as letting his man go at set-pieces, but also major, such as laying one across the box for Coutinho to smash home. I don't even think that this is a physical issue, despite injuries, because he has all the physical attributes to be the best. It seems to be mental, but whatever it is, the issue needs to be resolved because he is regressing. Quickly.

Injuries have obviously hit us hard again this season, but that may well be down to a lack of preparation. Despite what was said of our squad at the start of the year, there is no way that it's deep enough to compete on four fronts, and fixture congestion over December and January caused an abundance of muscle injuries. Obviously, you have to question the players' fitness regimes, but perhaps also the manager and his bosses. Could he have rotated more often over that period? Probably. Could they have provided him with a more balanced squad? Probably. There's too much shite in the same areas and not enough quality to rotate the really, really good players.

Take for example, David Silva. If you rest him, you can't rest Samir Nasri, and Silva really needs resting because of his ongoing ankle injury. So, who do you play? James Milner, perhaps, but as much as I like Milner, without Silva in the side, he offers sweet fuck all going forward. When David does play, Milner operates almost like a more advanced wing-back, overlapping and running inside the opposition's fullback. Without him, he is largely ineffective. You could say similar of Navas, who needs the game to be stretched in order to have any influence whatsoever.

Then there is Hart. How many of his errors have cost us this season? He has, to be fair, improved his form somewhat since returning to the side, but he's still making mistakes, and frustrating fans with his distribution. he seems to constantly be lacking focus. 

The last two years kind of feel like a waste, but we fortunately still have time to get back on track. I have no idea what is going to happen with the manager, but at the moment he feels much like a yes-man, a stopgap manager before the right man comes along, or is ready. What is certain is that he and some of the senior players need some sort of kick up the arse, some sort of ultimatum before we're left behind by the two sides currently ahead of us, who will undoubtedly strengthen over the summer.