Liam Rosenior has said Chelsea are running out of time in the race to qualify for the Champions League after a run of one Premier League win in seven.
Manchester United visit Stamford Bridge on Saturday in what is surely a must-win game as Rosenior's side look to salvage what is becoming a hugely-disappointing season.
They trail fifth-place Liverpool by four points with six games to go and if results go against them this weekend, they could see their top-five hopes effectively ended before the final month of the campaign.
A comprehensive 3-0 defeat at home to Manchester City on Sunday was the latest of three league losses in a row and saw Chelsea embarrassed in front of their own supporters by more powerful, clinical opposition.
It is more than six weeks since Chelsea last scored a goal in the league and the former Strasbourg and Hull boss recognised that there was little room left for manoeuvre to rescue their season.
Chelsea fell to a 3-0 defeat against Manchester City. Getty "As the season goes on, the less games you have left, the more important the games become," Rosenior said.
"We have to take advantage of this moment. We're running out of time.
"We need to show that initiative on Saturday and play on the front foot and make up those points, which is still definitely possible.
"If I look at each game, I think it's just come down to loss of concentration of focus in a moment that then has snowballed into the rest of the performances.
"What we have to do is manage the margins of the game a little bit better."
A supporter protest is planned ahead of the United game on Saturday evening, reflecting the growing disconnect between fans and the club since owners BlueCo took control almost four years ago.
Unless results improve drastically in the next few weeks, this season will be the first under the club's American owners that the team's league position has dropped, a factor likely further to strain the relationship with fans who are unhappy with the running of the club.
Grievances range from poor communication from the owners, a recruitment policy that has failed to deliver results consistently, high turnover of personnel with little apparent long-term plan and issues with matchday ticketing.
"Every supporter has their viewpoint," Rosenior said. "Every supporter wants their club to do well and to win games.