Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola insisted his struggling Premier League champions will regain their confidence after a 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday, taking their defeats to nine in their last twelve matches in each competition.
Aston Villa took the lead early on with a goal from Jhon Duran, which was then doubled by Morgan Rogers in the 65th minute. Phil Foden's late match goal for City was not enough to change the outcome of the match, allowing Aston Villa to overtake Manchester City and move into fifth place in the table.
This defeat prolonged the worst period of Guardiola's prestigious managerial career, but the City boss believes he and his players can regain their confidence. He told TNT Sports: “Step by step, we have some good personalities on the team and sooner or later we will find it.”
Guardiola praised the Aston Villa team, led by fellow Spaniard Unai Emery, saying: “Congratulations Aston Villa and keep up the good work. They are very strong in the central block.
We had some good moments, we had some chances, more chances than in the match against (Manchester) United, but in the second half we dropped the pace and our pressure wasn't enough… we scored a goal at the end, but it was too late ”.
This defeat marked a bad spell for striker Erling Haaland, who once prolific has scored just once in his last six appearances.
“Of course we are disappointed,” he said. “It's not enough, it's not enough of me.”
Haaland continued: “We have to continue. First I look at myself, I'm not giving my best, I'm not taking advantage of my opportunities. I have to do better, I wasn't up to par.”
Despite everything, Haaland believes in Guardiola's ability to resurrect City.
“He (Guardiola) won the Premier League six times in seven years, so we will never forget him,” Haaland said.
“He will find solutions. He does it every single year. We still believe in him, we have to work harder than ever at this time.”
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