Pep Guardiola said on Monday that Manchester City can still achieve “very good things” this season, despite their worrying run of five consecutive defeats.
City will host Dutch side Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday, looking for their first win in any competition since late October, but Guardiola remains optimistic.
“I have the feeling that this season we will do very good things,” he told his pre-match press conference. “I don’t give up, and I have the feeling we will be there.”
“You are defending a legacy, a tradition, a success that is so difficult to handle,” he added. “So, that’s why I relax. If we don’t do it, we don’t do it. It’s just about trying to focus on the short period of time and winning the next games. What I want is a commitment.”
City are already eight points behind leaders Liverpool in the Premier League title race, with a trip to Anfield looming next weekend. They sit 10th in the Champions League standings after two wins, a draw, and a defeat in their opening four matches, and have been eliminated from the League Cup.
But Guardiola said he had no intention of changing his methods, which have led the club to four consecutive Premier League titles and the Champions League crown in 2023.
“I want the players in certain departments to be more focused. What do we have to do?” he said. “And step by step, we will come back. This too shall pass. Life is like that.
When you think it’s perfect, you are wrong. It’s going to rain tomorrow. So, that’s life.”
He added: “Right now, the most important thing is not tactics, it is to win a game on desire. You look at December and at the end of the season, whether you need to change things and be more solid, but these guys will do very, very good things.”
Guardiola has been dealing with a lengthy injury list, including midfield playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, who was out for several weeks after picking up an injury in mid-September. The Belgian, who has made three substitute appearances since his return earlier this month, said it had been frustrating watching the side struggle.
“I can help the team, but you can only do so much from the sidelines,” he said. “It’s frustrating because I know if I was feeling good I could help the team, but I wasn’t able to do that.”
De Bruyne, 33, said the squad was determined to return to winning ways as soon as possible.
“It’s been a bit chaotic, I would say,” he said. “I’ve seen so many people around the medical area, sports science, (you wonder) who’s playing and who’s not playing. There were people who shouldn’t be playing but did anyway with injuries.”
AFP