Stephen Ireland has warned Manchester City they risk sliding into the relegation battle.

The midfielder, whose side lost 1-0 at West Ham on Sunday, host Aston Villa tomorrow and he is keen for his team to go up to seventh spot in the Premier League.

He said: "Hopefully we can do it. It's so tight you can end up anywhere with a win. But with a loss you can drop down there fighting at the bottom again.

"We need a win to get back on track, and to keep winning on a regular basis, because we haven't been doing that. We were disappointed to lose at West Ham. We should have worked harder and created more chances.

"It was everything -- imagination, sharpness. We never got off the bus, to be honest. Everyone knows what we have to do to get back on track. We're going to set it right against Villa."