Manchester City’s players still have faith in manager Pep Guardiola, says striker Phil Foden, after Manchester United extended their awful run.
Guardiola, 53, has won the Premier League four times in a row but Sunday’s derby defeat left City fifth in the table and nine points behind leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand on their title rivals title.
Amad Diallo’s goal meant Guardiola were in charge of eight defeats in their last 11 matches.
“We’re still nowhere near our level but I still think we’re playing well enough to get points and results,” said Foden.
“It’s about staying focused throughout the 90 minutes, but we keep switching off at important moments. We just need to focus properly.
“We are sticking together, regrouping and believing in ourselves after what we have achieved in the past.
“We keep believing in the process and the manager – I’m sure if we do that we’ll get back to winning ways and get back to our level.”
Guardiola has signed a new contract until 2027 during a rotten run that began with a Carabao Cup exit by Tottenham Hotspur on October 30.
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This defeat means they now have a free midweek to reflect and refresh ahead of Saturday’s tough Premier League trip to Aston Villa.
“I can’t put my finger on what’s going on,” Foden said after the United defeat.
“I thought the performance was good enough to get the result, but we come away with no points and it seems to be the same story at the moment. We just have to stick together.
“The dressing room will obviously be down and sad at the moment but we can’t dwell on it too long – we have to try and get back up.
“In football there is always another chance to fix it.”
City’s trip to Villa at the weekend is followed by a Boxing Day game at home to Everton before closing 2024 away to Leicester.
“It’s about keeping our mentality strong for the whole 90 minutes and we’re not doing that at the moment,” Foden said.
“We have to go again and show character to come back from this blow.
“This is not a time for whining – it’s about sticking together, staying strong and going again. I’m sure we’ll be back.”
