Guardiola Remains Confident Despite Manchester City's Slump

Pep Guardiola remains confident Manchester City will regain their form, while Erling Haaland backs his manager amidst the team's worst run.

Despite Manchester City's dismal run of form, manager Pep Guardiola has reaffirmed his unwavering faith in his players. The reigning champions' slump continued with a shocking 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday, marking their ninth loss in just 12 matches across all competitions. However, Guardiola remains resolute, insisting that he has “incredible trust” that his team will eventually turn their fortunes around.

The defeat to Villa saw Manchester City relinquish their grip on fifth place, as the victors climbed above them in the table. City now find themselves in sixth position, and their woes could deepen further, with the possibility of plummeting to as low as ninth by the end of the weekend. Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers were the scorers for Villa, compounding City's misery in a match that has raised further questions about the team's title aspirations.

Manchester City's dismal run of form has resulted in a staggering 24 points dropped in the Premier League, and the team has yet to reach the halfway point of the season. To put this into perspective, City dropped a total of 23 points throughout the entirety of last season.

Despite the team's struggles, manager Pep Guardiola remains optimistic and confident in his players. “We have to think positive and I have incredible trust in the guys,” Guardiola told TNT Sports. "/“Some of them have incredible pride and desire to do it. We have to find a way, step by step, sooner or later to find a way back.” Guardiola also revealed that he gave his players a brief respite, granting them two days off to clear their minds. He acknowledged that the team's poor performance has become a mental hurdle, stating, “It's now all in our minds.”

Despite the collective frustration evident in their performance at Villa Park on Saturday, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola remains confident that his team will regain their confidence. Guardiola believes this will happen gradually, stating, “We have to think positive... step-by-step.” He also praised the personalities within the team, saying, “We have nice personalities in the team and sooner or later we are going to find it.”

City striker Erling Haaland has expressed his unwavering support for Guardiola, who is currently experiencing the worst stretch of his illustrious managerial career. Haaland told TNT, “He won the Premier League six times in seven years, so we will never forget that. He will find the solutions. He has been doing that every single year. We still believe in him, we have to work harder than ever right now.” Haaland's own form has been a concern, with only two goals in City's last eight league games.

Haaland took responsibility for his own struggles, saying, “First I'm looking at myself, I haven't been scoring my chances. I have to do better, I haven't been good enough.” The Norwegian's self-criticism is a testament to his commitment to improving and helping the team regain their footing.