Pep Guardiola thinks that Manchester City has been receiving favorable treatment for too long, and their inability to win any of their last four Premier League matches is a necessary wake-up call.
City have dropped to fourth, six points behind the leaders, Arsenal, after drawing with Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham, and losing on Wednesday at Aston Villa.
“As a manager, I often crave challenges because they push me to be better,” stated Guardiola. “It’s healthy for everyone to experience challenges. We can’t always live in a state of comfort, knowing how talented we are. Sometimes we need to face difficult situations and acknowledge that this industry can be harsh. We may start off invincible, but then suddenly we can’t win a single game. Personally, I see these challenges as an opportunity to prove my abilities and support my players in overcoming obstacles.”
“It is a significant challenge for the players to acknowledge that Aston Villa was significantly superior to us, so one can only imagine how the other teams will fare.”
Last season, Guardiola led City to victory in the Champions League, but he cautioned about securing a spot in the competition again. He stressed the importance of working diligently, as the club is aware that they may not qualify next season. He believes that once they recognize this, they can bounce back from their current decline. Guardiola felt that the club needed a wake-up call, and the recent string of poor results could serve as a catalyst for positive change.
City’s current losing streak is their worst since March-April 2017 during Guardiola’s first season, which did not result in any trophies. However, he denied that a poor attitude was the cause. He clarified, “It’s not a matter of being complacent. Complacency would involve being late to training, not putting in effort, and not caring about the outcome. I’m only referring to our poor results. Losing games is a necessary experience that helps us learn. It’s important to go through that in order to move forward.”
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For Sunday’s match against Luton, Guardiola will be able to count on Rodri again as the midfielder was ineligible for the game against Villa, as well as City’s other two league defeats this season against Wolves and Arsenal. The manager explained why Kalvin Phillips continues to be left out, saying, “I regret my decisions regarding him. He deserves to play, but I have difficulty envisioning him in certain situations.”
Source: theguardian.com
