Manchester City’s gruelling run of form is showing no signs of stopping, and with Liverpool up next, Pep Guardiola has made a rallying call to his underperforming players
Pep Guardiola has issued a rallying cry to his Manchester City players ahead of their pivotal encounter with Liverpool – demanding commitment.
City’s five-match losing streak came to an end in the Champions League on Tuesday night, but their 3-3 draw with Feyenoord felt more like another defeat. Guardiola’s side seemed to have found their rhythm again when Erling Haaland netted twice either side of Ilkay Gundogan’s deflected goal, giving them a 3-0 lead at the Etihad.
However, a costly mistake from Josko Gvardiol allowed Anis Hadj-Moussa to claw one back for the Dutch side before Santiago Gimenez added another from close range. City’s troubles were compounded when Ederson made a rash decision, failing to reach a high-ball 30-yards from goal, which allowed Igor Paixao to cross for David Hancko to head into an unguarded net.
Guardiola has urged his players to find another gear ahead of facing Arne Slot’s high-flying Liverpool at Anfield, and said: “I have the feeling that this season we will do very good things. I don’t give up, and I have the feeling we will be there.
“You are defending a legacy, a tradition, a success that is so difficult to handle. So, that’s why I relax.
“If we don’t do it, we don’t do it. It’s just to try to focus in the short period of time and win the next games. So, what I want is a commitment.”
The latest result means City have five losses and one draw in their last six matches. And losing their next challenge would see Liverpool extend their lead over Guardiola’s team to an imposing 11 points.
Guardiola has attempted to rally his players, by claiming there were also many good moments against Feyenoord. The ex-Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss said: “The game was good for the confidence, we were playing at a good level and then for the first time something happened, we have problems.
“Everybody knows the situation, we don’t have to adapt anything. Tomorrow [Wednesday] we have to train, recovery then prepare the next game.
“We have two or three days to prepare for that and go for it. We will learn for the future. It has been a really difficult season for us for many circumstances and today, unfortunately, the game was well done, we punished them in the right moments.
“The team was so committed to so many things. But unfortunately, something happened and we were not strong enough. We have to avoid these mistakes.”
The draw with Feyenoord saw City drop to 15th in the Champions League table. They also face the possibility of slipping to fifth in the Premier League if Liverpool beats them and other results go against them.
Amid the difficult period, Guardiola’s current state of mind has been called into question after he was seen with many scratches over his head and face after the Feyenoord draw. He caused alarm when he said: “I want to harm myself”, having confirmed his nails did the damage.
While Guardiola meant it as a joke, he has since released a statement on Wednesday morning to help clear things up. “My answer was in no way intended to make light of the very serious issue of self harm.
