MANCHESTER — Manuel Pellegrini has challenged his Manchester City side to take maximum points from their two away games at West Bromwich Albion and Southampton as the wealthy English Premier League soccer club close in on Arsenal at the top of the table.Arsene Wenger’s league leaders are the next visitors to City’s Etihad Stadium after the Blues moved to within six points of first place in a 3-0 home victory over Swansea on Sunday.
But first, City must negotiate two testing away fixtures and improve on a record that has already seen them lose four times on their travels this season.
Pellegrini has set his players the goal of being top, or at least within three points of that position, by the first day of 2014 and concedes that the coming week, and those two away games, will be crucial in achieving that target. — AFP.



