Manuel Pellegrini has declared that the Premier League is more important than the Champions League for Manchester City.
The Chilean has taken City into the last 16 of Europe's premier club competition for the third successive season, and they will enter Monday's draw as group winners for the first time.
But while he could take City into the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the first time in the club's history, and while the club's owners are eager to see them make more of a mark in Europe, Pellegrini, who led them to the Premier League title in his first season in charge, feels his top priority is to regain that crown.
"For me, I always think the Premier League is the most important," he said. "In the Champions League, you can have a bad game and go out in the semifinal, and nobody remembers what you did.
"The Premier League is the work of the whole year. I always say that it must not be an obsession to win the Champions League.
"It's a very important title, and beautiful to do it. But you must not try to win the Champions League and lose focus on the Premier League."
Pellegrini believes the Premier League could be won with the lowest points tally of the 21st century.
The Chilean's side went top of the division with Saturday's win over Swansea, only to be overhauled by Arsenal on Sunday.
But City have already dropped 16 points so far this season. And while every champion since the millennium has recorded at least 80 points, Pellegrini thinks that could change this season.
"If we repeat the second half of the season what happened in the first, I don't think the leaders after the first half will have 40 points," he said.
Manchester United, with 79 points in 1998-99, were the last team to win the Premier League with fewer than 80 points while City were champions in 2012 and 2014 with 89 and 86 respectively.
But because of the lower points tally, Pellegrini expects plenty of competition for the title, explaining: "It will be one of the closest [races]. We have not finished the Premier League. We have just finished the first half. But for the moment, I think it will be one of the closest."