Sunderland fullback Phil Bardsley feels their Premier League status will be decided this month.
Black Cats boss Gus Poyet said the next four games - which include clashes with three of the bottom seven, in the shape of West Ham, Norwich and Cardiff, as well as a Boxing Day trip to Everton - are "absolutely massive".
And Bardsley agrees, telling the Evening Chronicle: "I'm not too fussed about anyone else, even though it doesn't help (if they are winning).
"We've got to concentrate on ourselves and we've got to start winning games.
"We know these next four games before the end of the year are massive. We've got to start picking points up and we've got some games coming up where we'll hope to take points from.
"We've got to find a way to win matches like we did against Newcastle and Man City.
"We need to find a way to do it and we have to do it quickly."
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