Striker Phil Foden said that Manchester City players still trust coach Pep Guardiola, after rival Manchester United continued its terrible run.
Guardiola (53 years old) won the Premier League four times in a row, but Derby's defeat on Sunday left City in fifth place in the standings, nine points behind leaders Liverpool, which has a game in hand over its title rival.
Amad Diallo's goal means Guardiola has been responsible for eight defeats in his last 11 matches.
“We are still far from our level, but I still think we are playing well enough to get points and get results,” Foden said.
“It's about staying focused for the whole 90 minutes, but we keep getting stuck at important times. We just need to get the focus right.
“We are sticking together, regrouping and believing in ourselves after what we have achieved in the past.
“We continue to believe in the process and in the coach – I'm sure if we do that we will get back to winning ways and get back to our level.”
Guardiola signed a new contract until 2027 during a disastrous run that began with a Carabao Cup exit to Tottenham on October 30.
How does Man City change its appearance? 🧐 pic.twitter.com/vYVlxvAGfH
— English Premier League (@premierleague) December 16, 2024
This loss means they now have free time in 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 happening,” Foden said after the defeat to United.
He added: I think the performance was more than good enough to achieve the result, but we left without points, and it seems that the story is the same at the moment. We just have to stick together.
“Obviously the dressing room will be frustrated and sad at the moment, but we can't dwell on that too much – we have to try to pick ourselves back up again.
“In football there is always another chance to get it right.”
City's trip to Villa at the weekend follows a Boxing Day match at home to Everton before concluding 2024 away to Leicester.
“It's about keeping our mentality strong throughout the 90 minutes, and we're not doing that at the moment,” Foden said.
“We have to go again and show our character to come back from this stumble.
“This is not the time to complain, it is the time to stick together, stay strong and move forward again. I am sure we will come back.”
