Pep Guardiola vows he will fight to turn around Manchester City’s losing streak, insisting he is not ready for their era of dominance to end just yet.
City slipped to a fourth defeat in a row at Brighton, the first time they have done so since 2006 and the first time Guardiola has ever experienced such a run in his managerial career. He looked furious at full-time, but turned that into defiance when facing the media after the match.
“Normally people lose games. Always a first time in your life,” he said. “This is my challenge, our challenge. I like to face it. I will not step back at all, less than ever. More than ever I want to do it and we will try again.”
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“There is always a first time in a lifetime. We lost two games in the Premier League, that is the point. Of course we have to change and get back to winning but we are in the position in the table, Champions League again and when the players come back I don’t have any doubts that we’ll be back at our best.”
Guardiola put City’s defeat at Brighton down to an inability to maintain their intensity or aggression for the full 90 minutes, allowing the hosts to come from behind and take the three points.
“I will reflect [on why] in these 10 days. Clear our heads, players come back fit, this is the target,” he added. “When the players come back I’d like to play the level of the first half and in Lisbon. I know how we are playing. I know I’m not going to convince you, this is not my target, but I know the level we’re playing is really really good in certain moment.
“But we are not able to continue for a long time. I’m pretty sure when the players come back and we can make some individual qualities on the team we’ll be back.”
And pressed on whether this era of City dominance is coming to an end, he insisted that won’t happen for a lack of trying on City’s part.
“When we lose, I am here, but it looks like my arguments are excuses. This is how I feel. When I play bad, I’m the first to say I don’t like it, but I don’t have that feeling,” he said.
“[Our era coming to an end] is what the people want. It’s normal, we won a lot, it happens. I’d like all the squad to fight and if someone [wins] it, okay, congratulations. Not give it away because we are not there. I have that feeling, we are not there, we cannot do it every three days with the situation we have.
“We need [players] to do it but no we don’t have it. Is the era going to come to an end, for sure, it’s not eternal. For the next 56 years City are not going to win every game in the Premier League, that’s for sure, but try to be there, why not, this is what I would like. I see the players training and the way they started in the first half and started the game in Lisbon and said, ‘We are going to do it again and again’ but the reality is it is not enough.
“In this business you have to win games and we are not winning games. Of course we have to change it and the players know it, but that will help us to be more focused, have the desire to come back for the players to do it, and we will see. What is going to happen is going to happen.”
