James Milner has pleaded with Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini to give him more games so he can help his club in their battle to retain the Premier League title and stay in the Champions League.
Now City’s sole English outfielder, Milner has been in and out of the starting line-up since the Chilean arrived at the Etihad Stadium 18 months ago.
Though he’s always in the matchday squad, the England midfielder finds himself on the bench as often as he starts. He admits it’s a source of some frustration, despite the fact he picked up major medals last season in the League and Capital One Cup.
“It’s hard to play well when you’re sitting on the bench!” he says. “It’s down to me to perform when I get on the field but I’m confident in my ability. If I get enough games I can show people what I can do.
“When you play, you get into a rhythm, the more confident you feel and you also gain that match sharpness. You can train as much as you want but if you’re playing a game every two weeks it’s not easy to get that sharpness.
“That’s what led City to buy me and, hopefully, I can contribute to a successful season.”
City have had a Champions League nightmare again this season. They’ve collected only two points from their first four matches and need to beat Bayern Munich at home on Tuesday to stand any chance of getting out of the group.
“We’ve not given it up,” says Milner. “It’s two games win them both and we’re through. We can do that. We went to Bayern last year and beat them in their own backyard.
“We need to make sure we stay on Chelsea’s heels as close as we can in the league but a club like Manchester City needs to be in the Champions League.
“Obviously things haven’t been going so well but hopefully we can get back on track and hit the standards that we’ve set ourselves over the last few years.”
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