Manchester, – Phil Foden has thrown his support behind under-fire Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, insisting that the players still believe in him despite the team’s dismal run of form. City’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday extended their losing streak to eight defeats in 11 games, leaving them trailing leaders Liverpool by nine points in the Premier League.
Guardiola, who recently signed a new two-year contract, has come under intense scrutiny for City’s poor performances, and admitted after the game that he is “not good enough” as the worst crisis of his managerial career deepened. However, Foden is adamant that the Spaniard retains the support of his squad.
“We stick together, regroup and believe in ourselves after what we’ve achieved in the past,” Foden said. “We keep believing in the process and the manager – I’m sure if we do that we will get back to winning ways and get back to our level.” Foden acknowledged that City’s performances have not been up to par, but believes that they are not far off from finding their form.
“We are still nowhere near our level, but I still believe that we are playing good enough to get points and results,” he said. “It’s about remaining focused throughout the full 90 minutes, but we keep switching off at important times. We just need to get the focus right.” City’s defeat to United was a painful one, with the team conceding twice in the closing minutes to surrender a lead.
Foden admitted that he is baffled by City’s remarkable fall from grace, but is urging his teammates to stick together and show character in the face of adversity. “The changing room is obviously going to be down and sad at the moment, but we can’t dwell on this too much,” he said. “It’s about keeping our mentality strong throughout the whole 90 minutes and we’re not doing that at the moment. We have to go again and show character to come back from this blip.”
With the busy festive season looming, Foden is calling on his teammates to rally behind Guardiola and find a winning formula. “It’s not a time for moaning, it’s about sticking together, remaining strong and going again,” he said. “I’m positive we are going to come back.” City face Aston Villa on Saturday, followed by games against Everton and Leicester, and Foden is confident that they can turn their season around.
Source: Africa Publicity
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