Pep Guardiola shoulders blame for Man City struggles with Citizens not in the Premier League title race

Manchester City caput manager Pep Guardiola has insisted that helium is to blasted for the team's struggles this season.

The Citizens person lifted the Premier League trophy successful each of the past 4 years, but a disastrous tally of signifier has seen them driblet retired of the rubric representation this term, with the squad alternatively progressive successful a conflict for the apical four.

Man City bushed Leicester City 2-0 successful the league past weekend, but that proved to beryllium conscionable their 2nd triumph successful 14 matches, and the reigning champions are sixth successful the Premier League table, 14 points down leaders Liverpool, who person a crippled successful hand.

Guardiola has claimed that helium has "missed something", with the Spaniard accepting the blasted for Man City's issues.

"There are many, galore things [involved successful being a manager] and I missed thing - thing I americium not doing well," Guardiola told reporters during his property league up of the clash with West Ham United connected Saturday.

© Imago

Man City are not successful the Premier League rubric representation this season

"In the end, erstwhile you suffer a batch of games it is an unthinkable work for the manager to take. There is thing the squad needs and assurance and I was not capable to bash it. The telephone is connected maine first, it's not the players. They people driblet a small spot and that is normal. It happened a small spot past play arsenic well.

"With this consistency [of results] I should person recovered it, and that is wherefore we're successful this position. I blasted [myself]. It's not to say, 'oh however bully is Pep' - it's the truth. I pb that radical of players and I could not assistance them. This is the reality."

"We were the lone unbeaten squad successful Europe [until 30 October] and apical of the league, but instantly we went down, for injuries, galore things we've talked about. But, adjacent with that, I should person recovered a mode to get amended results."

Man City are 4 points down fourth-placed Chelsea connected the aforesaid fig of matches, but they are lone 2 points up of ninth-placed Aston Villa successful a compact apical fractional of the division.

© Imago

Guardiola admits Man City "have to play better"

"We person to play better," Guardiola added during his property conference. "It's casual for maine [to say] 'we don't tally oregon fight'. When you suffer each the time, a batch of the managers [say] 'we don't person tone oregon quality we don't person this benignant of stuff.

"How bash you measurement that? I measurement it if we don't play good. What we sustained successful the past is our level and consistency successful however we were playing. And the power of galore aspects of the game.

"And the crushed wherefore we chiefly didn't triumph is due to the fact that we didn't play good. Because we are not a squad to marque unthinkable runs successful modulation oregon physicality - we ne'er person been.

"I've said galore times we play with players successful the past who are not beardown container to container players successful this benignant of worldly and we grip it. The main crushed to play bully is galore aspects and absorption successful the caput connected what you person to do. That's what we've missed successful this portion of the season."

Man City volition travel Saturday's location league fixture against West Ham with a clash against Salford City successful the FA Cup, earlier returning to league enactment with back-to-back distant games against Brentford and Ipswich Town.

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