Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has come out fighting as he contemplates his side’s worst sequence of results since 2018.
The 4-1 Champions League defeat by Sporting in Lisbon was City’s third loss in a row.
Only once during Guardiola’s reign have City lost three times in a row in a single season.
Although he rejected skipper Bernardo Silva’s post-match assertion that the club is currently in a “dark place”, Guardiola also accepted after a defeat of this size, words are largely meaningless.
However, he is not backing away from the challenge.
“We knew it would be a tough season at the start,” he said. “I like it. I love it. I want to face it and lift my players.
“I won’t give up, that’s for sure.”
