Pep Guardiola admitted that Manchester City “dropped [off] as a team” in the second half of their 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday.
With Stefan Ortega coming under immense pressure inside the opening minute, it was perhaps a relief that the visitors were able to hold out until Jhon Durán found the back of the net in the 16th minute.
But Morgan Rogers, having registered the assist for the opener, added a goal of his own shortly after the hour mark – rendering Phil Foden’s injury time effort nothing more than a consolation before City’s trip back up the M6.
What did Pep Guardiola say?
Speaking in his post-match press conference at Villa Park, the Spaniard accepted that “the second half was not as good as the first half,” but insisted that “we dropped as a team – not a particular player.”
A ninth defeat in 12 games – and an eighth consecutive away loss – leaves the Cityzens nine points adrift of Liverpool at the helm of the Premier League table, and outside of the UEFA Champions League qualifying spots.
Guardiola accepted that “the results are not good,” suggesting that the next steps are for him to see “how [he] can do with [his] people to get the results back.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThe 53-year-old penned a contract extension with the club just last month, but with results continuing to spiral and Manchester City further distancing themselves from qualification for Europe’s elite competition, questions have been raised about the Catalan’s ability to steady the ship.
Enduring the worst run of form of his managerial career, Guardiola quipped ahead of last weekend’s Manchester Derby loss that “they could sack me” if results don’t improve.
According to Hayters, the City boss previously expressed that he “would regret leaving now,” but accepted that “if the board is not happy with me, they can do it.”
FEATURED IMAGE: Rob Atherton