Guardiola comes out fighting as Man City hit ‘dark place’
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has come out fighting as he contemplates his side’s worst sequence of results since 2018.
Only once during Guardiola’s reign have City lost three times in a row in a single season.
Although he rejected skipper Bernardo Silva’s post-match assertion that the club is currently in a “dark place”, Guardiola also accepted after a defeat of this size, words are largely meaningless.
However, he is not backing away from the challenge.
“We knew it would be a tough season at the start,” he said. “I like it. I love it. I want to face it and lift my players.
“I won’t give up, that’s for sure.”
Few will have sympathy with City over their current injury issues.
Guardiola’s decision to hand a first start to FA Youth Cup-winning skipper Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, a day after his 19th birthday and less than a week after his senior debut, underlined the issues he is dealing with in central defence.
Neither John Stones nor Ruben Dias made the trip, while Nathan Ake remained on the substitutes’ bench throughout.
Rico Lewis played at right-back in the absence of skipper Kyle Walker, and Kevin de Bruyne was only risked for the final six minutes.
Defensive midfielder Rodri is, of course, out for the season.
Guardiola says the current experience feels like his debut campaign in 2016-17, when City struggled for consistency and were fifth after a 4-0 defeat at Everton in January before embarking on a run of one loss in 17 league games, which eventually led them to finish in third spot.
“It happened in my first year,” he said. “Sometimes it does.
“I have to try to find an explanation but sometimes it’s just football so you have to accept it. Sport is that. Life is that. Sometimes we have bad moments but we face the reality.
“Everyone has to try to be better and we will find it. We are still alive in all competitions and we continue.”
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