Pep Guardiola has insisted that Manchester City's players are working “harder than ever” in a bid to halt their remarkable decline.
The four-time Premier League champions have won just one of their last 12 games in all competitions and enter Christmas in seventh place, nine points behind leaders Liverpool having also played two more games.
City had a bad performance against Aston Villa on Saturday, losing 2-1 and presenting a lethargic performance.
But Guardiola says their recent problems are not due to a lack of commitment.
PEP 💬 It's about many small details or some big details that make us not as good as we were. But we have another chance on Boxing Day. We have players coming back and at a certain point we will be better. pic.twitter.com/BCoBfTZuSK
– Manchester City (@ManCity) December 24, 2024
Speaking before the Boxing Day match with Everton, he said: “The players are running and trying harder than ever before. There are many small details or big details that make us not as good as we were.
He added: “But we have another opportunity on Boxing Day to try to buy time until the players return, and at a certain time we will be better.”
No Stones vs Everton
City were not helped by the long injury list, which now includes John Stones, after he withdrew at half-time at Villa Park.
Stones misses the opportunity to face his former club, which is slowly moving in the right direction due to the defensive improvement that has seen it keep a clean sheet in seven of the last 10 matches.
Everton has not defeated City since 2017, but Guardiola is worried about Sean Dyche's men.
“In this case, there is no perfect opponent,” he added.
“It's about getting back to our best. It will take time. We have to get results as quickly as possible. We are facing Everton and they are in good form, their results and performance show that.”