Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has defended Manuel Pellegrini amid claims that the Chilean is on the verge of being sacked by Manchester City.

The Citizens have lost four out of their last six matches to fall out of contention for the Premier League title and were also dumped out of the Champions League by Barcelona to leave the 61-year-old on the brink of the exit at the Etihad Stadium.

However, Mourinho feels that the criticism of Pellegrini has been over the top considering his achievements at the club last season when he guided City to the top-flight crown as well as a triumph in the Capital One Cup.

He told reporters: "I'm not surprised because it can happen to anyone. Every game is difficult. What I'm surprised about is that a team that won two titles in three years, a team that are still champions and won two trophies last season, [the media] can bring this team to hell.

"It looks like they don't deserve respect, that they are bad players, that the manager is a bad manager, that they are a disaster. And they are the champions. I don't understand.

"So how can you be so negative with a team that's won two titles in three years? Okay, they won't win this title this year, but they did last year. Some clubs and managers cannot win and life goes on, but the guys at Man City - it looks like they're criminals because they don't win the league."

City are fourth in the Premier League, four points clear of Liverpool, with six matches remaining this season in the race for the Champions League places.