Manchester City midfielder Vincent Kompany believes the side can use the busy Christmas schedule to kick-start their Barclays Premier League campaign into life.
Much was expected of City after their takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group at the beginning of the season and the British transfer record signing of Brazil international Robinho from Real Madrid.
However, Mark Hughes, who took over from Sven-Goran Eriksson in the summer, has struggled to find the right formula to make his team genuine challengers for European football, never mind breaking into the top four.
City have won just five matches all season and are 14th in the Premier League, 11 points behind fourth-placed Arsenal but only three above the relegation zone.
There has already been fevered speculation about the big-money signings Hughes will try to make in next month's January transfer window in order to improve the club's fortunes.
But Kompany said it is performances on the pitch which will make the real difference and with matches coming thick and fast over the next month it is an ideal opportunity - before the transfer window opens - for the current players to prove they are up to the task.
"We need to get three or four wins in a row, then we are going to see what this team can achieve," said the former Hamburg player.
"I'm aiming for us to get some wins. I have experienced it before and I know that when you do start winning like this then anything is possible, so we'll have to work hard to achieve that.
"We all know how close it is now; if you lose a game people look at the bottom three, if you win everybody dreams of getting into Europe again."
Kompany, one of Hughes' summer signings, is used to a mid-season break having previously played in Germany but he knows he will not be afforded that luxury in England.
But the 22-year-old Belgium international is keen to prove he can cope with the demands of a Premier League winter.
"I might have to adapt a bit more, but I'm pleased because the more games I have the more I enjoy my life as a footballer. I'm looking forward to whatever comes up soon," he told the club's website, mcfc.co.uk.
"It's a challenge, you can't allow yourself any breaks. You have to keep working hard every day to make sure you are not going to break down under the pressure of all those games.
"That's what I am trying to do to maintain the level until now, I know it demands a lot but I'm happy to do it because I know what I am doing."
However, Mark Hughes, who took over from Sven-Goran Eriksson in the summer, has struggled to find the right formula to make his team genuine challengers for European football, never mind breaking into the top four.
City have won just five matches all season and are 14th in the Premier League, 11 points behind fourth-placed Arsenal but only three above the relegation zone.
There has already been fevered speculation about the big-money signings Hughes will try to make in next month's January transfer window in order to improve the club's fortunes.
But Kompany said it is performances on the pitch which will make the real difference and with matches coming thick and fast over the next month it is an ideal opportunity - before the transfer window opens - for the current players to prove they are up to the task.
"We need to get three or four wins in a row, then we are going to see what this team can achieve," said the former Hamburg player.
"I'm aiming for us to get some wins. I have experienced it before and I know that when you do start winning like this then anything is possible, so we'll have to work hard to achieve that.
"We all know how close it is now; if you lose a game people look at the bottom three, if you win everybody dreams of getting into Europe again."
Kompany, one of Hughes' summer signings, is used to a mid-season break having previously played in Germany but he knows he will not be afforded that luxury in England.
But the 22-year-old Belgium international is keen to prove he can cope with the demands of a Premier League winter.
"I might have to adapt a bit more, but I'm pleased because the more games I have the more I enjoy my life as a footballer. I'm looking forward to whatever comes up soon," he told the club's website, mcfc.co.uk.
"It's a challenge, you can't allow yourself any breaks. You have to keep working hard every day to make sure you are not going to break down under the pressure of all those games.
"That's what I am trying to do to maintain the level until now, I know it demands a lot but I'm happy to do it because I know what I am doing."
Copyright (c) Press Association
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