Pep Guardiola, Manchester City’s manager, has expressed his unwavering belief in his players despite the team enduring an unprecedented six-game losing streak.
The slump comes just days after Guardiola signed a new two-year contract, with the latest setback being a heavy home defeat to Tottenham. It marked City’s worst home loss since 2003 and their first five-game losing streak since 2006. Remarkably, this is the first time in Guardiola’s managerial career he has lost five consecutive matches.
City now trails Premier League leaders Liverpool by eight points, following the Reds’ 3-2 win over Southampton on Sunday.
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“I trust these players more than ever,” said Guardiola. “I’ve never seen a player in my life who wants to perform poorly for the fans or the club. Nobody wants that. When they’re in front of 60,000 people, they want to perform well. But for many reasons, it hurts.”
Despite the challenges, Guardiola is determined to address the team’s struggles. However, with a crucial Champions League clash against Feyenoord on Tuesday and a pivotal Premier League encounter with Liverpool next weekend, the road ahead is daunting.
Injuries have compounded City’s issues, leaving the defense particularly vulnerable. Key players like Rodri and Mateo Kovačić were sidelined, and Tottenham exploited these weaknesses, targeting City’s full-backs and stretching their central defense. Spurs capitalized through Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski, with Kulusevski calling it “the best result ever in my career.”
Guardiola admitted, “At the moment, we are not solid enough; that is the truth. You want to do well, but you have doubts.”
Despite the struggles, Guardiola believes in his team’s quality. He noted that had Erling Haaland converted one of his early chances against Spurs, the game’s outcome might have been different.
Looking ahead, Guardiola hopes for improvements in defense, particularly from Kyle Walker and Joško Gvardiol, who underperformed against Tottenham. He’s also optimistic that John Stones, who was limited to 45 minutes over the weekend, will be fit for the Liverpool clash.
Guardiola remains determined to turn things around: “When we started to lose, I told everyone, ‘We have to find a way.’ That is my duty.”