City were favourites to win the league after collecting maximum points from their opening five matches, but have slipped to fourth place as they prepare for the home match on Sunday against Tottenham, who have climbed to second.
Pellegrini can point to a lengthy injury list as a factor in his team’s difficulties, and also has the most congested fixture list of any of the title contenders, with City still involved in four competitions.
The manager has dismissed any suggestion that his players will drop their efforts between now and the end of the season as they wait for Guardiola’s arrival.
He said: “We have a squad absolutely committed. There might be mistakes that cause us to win or lose, but no one has any doubts about the commitment of the players.
“I think the players always try hard because they want to win. They always want to win the game and the title because it is their duty. Big teams know they must win.
“It is not the best way to finish a season, but I don’t think they will have any problems because I have the same relations with the players. I don’t have any doubts about that.”
Pellegrini, though, has acknowledged that there is a danger of City failing to qualify for next season’s Champions League if their results do not improve.
The manager said: “I think in football you must always have an open mind to know that anything can happen in the future while it is mathematically possible.
“It is important too, though, to have your mind always thinking in a positive way, not a negative way, and the only way to be at the top of the table is play as well as you can.”
Pellegrini, meanwhile, has suggested that Yaya Touré still has a future in top-level football, despite a dip in his performances.
The midfielder, 32, has been a key player for City since his arrival at the club in 2010, but Pellegrini has recently taken to substituting him during big games, including the Capital One Cup semi-final victory against Everton and the defeat against Leicester last weekend.
Guardiola sold Touré to City while manager at Barcelona, and may well seek to move out once more a player whose contract has 16 months to run.
Pellegrini said: “I think that Yaya has a lot of football left. It depends what he wants to do in the future.
“Maybe he’s not 20, and cannot go box to box for 90 minutes and to play three games a week.
“He’s a different player, he has a lot of quality he has a lot more football to give. It will be his decision where he will do that.”
- Telegraph