Pep Guardiola has demanded more desire from his players as Manchester City look to turn their form around.
The Citizens have lost five consecutive games in all competitions, becoming the first English top-flight champions to produce such a streak since Chelsea in 1956.
Saturday’s 4-0 loss at home to Tottenham was the club’s heaviest home defeat under Guardiola and leaves City eight points behind Liverpool in the title race.
Guardiola’s team return to European action tomorrow when Feyenoord arrive at the Etihad in the Champions League.
Ahead of the clash, Guardiola was asked at his pre-match press conference whether his team’s performances were down to an ageing squad but dismissed that notion. He instead demanded more desire from his players to turn their season around.
“Nope, it depends on the performance. There are players that are 23 that did not perform good. My analysis is we’re not getting results because we haven’t had many players. I would not say this is much different to a few months go. It always depends on the performance. I said I’m here but it depends on the performance, if I don’t perform I won’t be here.
“Tell me one team in the world that does not drop. I could never blame one player here. There’s a lot of minimal factors that are the reason. If it was one reason I would take it, but it’s not as simple. Right now, the most important thing is not tactics, it is to win a game on desire.
“I learn from these situations, be calm. Sometimes I shout, but the next morning with a coffee, I’m saying why am I shouting, stay calm. It is quite normal after a game. What happens in the past makes an influence in our lives in the right moment.
“At the beginning of the season, we were first, we’re still second. It’s not about the results, right now, it is about the performance, which at the start of the season was really, really good, except the Bournemouth game.
“You can handle one or two players, but not four or five in key positions. Maybe not five in a row, but it should happen.
“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.”
Read – Pep Guardiola’s worst defeats as Manchester City manager
See more – Tweets of the Week: Man City gets Spursed again and Roy Keane’s funniest ever moment