Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier says their 4-0 thrashing at Manchester City was the lowest point of his career.
Villa return to Eastlands for an FA Cup fifth-round tie on Wednesday night with boss Houllier keen to gain revenge for the December thrashing.
Houllier cited that loss, when his side went 3-0 down inside 27 minutes, as rock bottom for Villa's season - and his 29-year spell in pro management.
He said: "How bad was it? The lowest point of my career. I never in my life had a team that gave up so quickly.
"We hit rock bottom there but sprung up after that and have improved as a team.
"They realise it is not just 11 players and the rest. We have quality everywhere."
