Manchester City star Sergio Aguero urges fans to LAY OFF Manuel Pellegrini

SERGIO AGUERO insists Manchester City fans should lay off under-fire boss Manuel Pellegrini.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Manuel Pellegrini is under increasing pressure due to Manchester City's recent loss of form

City have won just once in their last five and are on the brink of crashing out of the Champions League.

The pressure is growing on Pellegrini ahead of today's Premier League trip to QPR.

But Aguero says everyone must share the blame.

The Argentina striker said: "It's easy for everyone to suddenly decide it's the man at the helm who is to blame, but I would say in situations like this, when we haven't played well as a group, we are all in it together.

"It is not just the manager, and not just the players - we are all to blame as a group and we need to work our way out of this situation as a group.

"It's the manager who decides the system you play in, and sets up the team to play in a certain way, and it's the manager who picks the players he thinks are in the best condition in terms of fitness and form, to line up in his first 11.

"But then it's ourselves, the 11 he picks, who need to go out and do the best they can."

Pellegrini's lack of passion on the touchline has been used as stick to beat him with.

But Aguero said: "That isn't to say that when we get in the dressing room at half-time or after a match that he isn't the first to give us what for.

"I'm not going to tell you exactly what he says - but he doesn't hold back either."

The Champions will be without injured captain Vincent Kompany.

But Pellegrini is refusing to take midfield star Yaya Toure out of the firing line despite a nightmare start to the season.

The out-of-form star was sent off in the midweek Champions League defeat to CSKA Moscow and has been racially abused on social media.

"If I think that Yaya needs to mentally rest from the pressure, I think he is not the player that he is," said Pellegrini.

"I am talking to him every day. He has all my support. I think all things that happen at Manchester City (seem to be) because of Yaya Toure - if he did or didn't do certain things.

"There must be a lot of reports saying that Yaya will be sold. Maybe all the other teams want Manchester City to be a weaker team.

"Yaya is a very important player. He played very well the first half (against CSKA Moscow). He scored a goal. In the second half he made a mistake and he was sent off, but never in my mind, I am sure nobody at the club is talking about selling Yaya Toure."