MANCHESTER -- Manuel Pellegrini has said he has the backing of everyone at Manchester City, including his players, and said he is not afraid of the sack.
A run of five defeats in seven games has brought media speculation he will be sacked and said he feels the City squad are still performing for him.
However, he said he does not believe Sunday's Manchester derby is part of a defining period for him and rebutted notions he is entering the final few weeks of his reign at the Etihad Stadium.
"I don't think so," he said in a news conference. "I feel everyone supports me at the club [including] the players.
"I see the team playing. We have to improve because we are not winning but we are the most attacking team and the team that has most possession of the ball.
"We don't concede many goals so the team is working to score the important amount of options [chances] we have in every game. I think the players are happy in the way we work and the way we play.
"I don't see any problems inside the club but you never know what will happen in August and at the end of the season. If you ask me, I am not afraid because I think we are in the correct way but a bad moment."
Pellegrini admitted he is concerned by City's lack of goals but insisted the blame should not lie solely with Sergio Aguero.
City's top scorer is enduring his longest drought since arriving from Atletico Madrid after failing to find the net in his last six matches.
But Pellegrini believes City have been unfortunate in the number of injuries his front men have suffered all season.
"I don't like to single out just one player," he added. "This year we score at the moment 28 goals less than last season.
"At the end of the season when we won the title, we decided that we had important strikers and the new players we had to bring in were in defensive.
"This season is different for a lot of things. Sergio has a lot of injuries; Edin Dzeko and Stevan Jovetic have injuries. Alvaro [Negredo] was sold because he was injured also. Now [Wilfried] Bony has come here and he is injured also.
"We have an unlucky season in that sense about goals and to score 28 goals less is a lot of goals but I can't think it is just a sign that Sergio is not scoring in the last games."