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MANCHESTER CITY manager Manuel Pellegrini said his side’s performances this season mean they have usurped Manchester United as the biggest team in the city.

United have been the dominant force in English football for the last 20 years, but they have fallen out of contention for domestic honours this season under new manager David Moyes.

The defending champions are currently 15 points off the pace in the Premier League in seventh place and have also been eliminated from the two domestic cup competitions.

City on the other hand, are three points behind leaders Chelsea in the Premier League with a game in hand, have reached the final of the League Cup and the quarterfinals of the FA Cup, and face Barcelona in the Champions League.

“If we consider only this season, Manchester City is the only big team in Manchester,” Pellegrini told a press conference on the eve of his side’s last 16 first leg at home to Barcelona.

“But we can’t forget what Manchester United did in the last years. This season the club (City) want to fight for titles and continue to grow and give us time to develop a playing philosophy.”

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