While Pep Guardiola faces a crisis after losing 5 consecutive matches for the first time in his brilliant coaching career, the Manchester City coach said that unity and cohesion are the key to getting out of a series of disastrous results.
Coach Guardiola’s team suffered a surprise 4-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League on Saturday. Despite the humiliating defeat at Etihad Stadium, which left the fans in a state of shock, the Catalan coach was moderate in his statements after the match.
“I was here as a player, maybe not as a coach,” Guardiola said. “There are no fairy tales in life and sport, sometimes you have to live these situations. You have to accept them. You can’t blame each other. Stay together, keep doing what we did.” “.
He added, “Escape? Certainly not. We have to stand united more than ever before. What defines our character is when we fail – we stand united and face it.”
The defeat left Manchester City 5 points behind leaders Liverpool, which is missing a game.
The defeat came two days after Guardiola signed a two-year contract extension and following the international break.
Although his players are suffering greatly, Guardiola said that he has great confidence in them.
He said, “I don’t know what will happen this season, but I will not lose my confidence in these players, even for a second. There is no team in the world capable of maintaining success for 8, 9, or 10 years in a row.”
The Spanish coach added, “Of course, everything is not well, but what we are trying to do is analyze the matter. Let’s move on to the next match and see what happens.”
The absence of Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder Rodri, who will be out for the rest of the season due to a knee injury, was very evident but City have several other key players suffering from injuries.
Guardiola said, “Of course Rodri is important, but we have known that for many months. But (John) Stones can only play 45 minutes. Jack (Grealish) was injured several times. Kevin (De Bruyne) missed two months.”
He added, “We have to come back and renew our mental energy. The season is very long and many things can happen.”
Manchester City does not have enough time to lick its wounds, as it hosts Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday and then heads to Anfield 5 days later to face Liverpool.
Guardiola said, “We feel happy when we win and sad when we don’t. This is normal. There would be a problem if we did not do that. We are not used to this situation but this is life. This happens sometimes and we have to accept it. This is the situation now and we will recover and change it.” “.