For Roberto Mancini, the phrase "there are no easy games anymore" could have been written for City's quest to qualify for the Champions League.
After a fortnight's hiatus following that superb win over Chelsea, the Blues now begin the final 11 games of the season with Aston Villa, Liverpool and Spurs also within touching distance of the coveted fourth place in the Barclays Premier League table.
That sequence of matches starts with a visit to the Stadium of Light on Sunday, but the Manager is expecting anything but an easy ride against a side undoubtedly buoyed by a 4-0 win at home over Bolton earlier this week.
"Now is a vital time for us. There are 11 games to go but it's important that we look back to how we played last time, especially how we kept our concentration against Chelsea. We will need that, but we defended very well against them and that's what I want for the rest of the season.
"There will be no such thing as an easy game for the rest of the season - they just don't exist! Every one of these last 11 games will be difficult.
"We have to really want to reach that fourth place, and show that in the way we play each game, starting on Sunday. That's the reason for everything we will do now for the rest of this season. We have a lot of experienced, international players who will be important but all our players will need to play a big part.
"We have a good chance, we have
games in hand over Tottenham and
Liverpool, but it all depends on us. It
won't be easy, so we'll have to keep
our focus every time we play."
"Only the next game matters for now, and going to Sunderland is going to be difficult. They will be feeling good after beating Bolton the other night."
City have a good record on Sunderland's home turf, and Mancini is excited about another game that will have lots riding on it for both sides. That's an aspect of the English game he has taken to, adding:
"All the games here are difficult, and there is always something to play for. In Italy sometimes there were games where it almost didn't matter, but I have found that's not what it is like here, and I like that. Grounds are full, it's noisy, it's exciting and for that I think that English football is beautiful. If you are not at 100% for every game, you are at risk because you know that the other team will be."
Apart from the suspended Emmanuel Adebayor and the injured Martin Petrov, Mancini has a full hand to choose from this weekend.
mcfc.co.uk