Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has welcomed the two-week international break, saying that he hopes it will provide his troops with a much-needed reprieve.

City's woes continued in Saturday's 2-2 draw away to Queens Park Rangers in a result that leaves the Premier League champions eight points behind table-topping Chelsea.

Pellegrini has now watched his side win just once from their last six games in all competitions, and the Chilean admits that the next 15 days will come as a relief to him and his players.

"We are not playing very very well but I think we had enough chances to win this game," he told Sky Sports News.

"[It was] exactly the same against West Ham. That was our last [league] defeat where the goalkeeper was their best player.

"So I think these 15 days will be very useful to us to return to our normal style of play but we are in a very unlucky moment."

The Citizens host Swansea City at Eastlands on November 22.