'We cannot do it' - Pep Guardiola sends clear message over Man City crisis amid Arsenal and Liverpool battle

Pep Guardiola has been speaking after Manchester City’s latest slip-up that saw them fall five points behind Liverpool at the top of the Premier League. City lost 2-1 to Bright after conceding two goals in the final stages of the game, and Arsenal now have the opportunity to cut the gap to City to just two points if they can beat Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.

City have now lost four on the bounce across all competitions, and there is an aire of crisis around the Etihad Stadium with Guardiola having never lost four games on the bounce during his managerial career. Arsenal are not faring too much better, but City may be giving them the opportunity they need to catch up, albeit Liverpool will now become the main target.

In the meantime, Guardiola says City will keep pushing to find solutions. “It’s what we want – to not be finished,” he said, as cited by The Guardian. “It’s what the people want because we won a lot, it happens. But I would like to have all the squad to fight and if someone [beats City] then congratulations. Not to give it away because we are not there.

“I had that feeling that we cannot do it every three or four days with the situation that we have. The era is going to come [to an end] for sure – in the next 55 years, City is not going to win the Premier League every year. But I would like us to try and if we can play like we did in the first half then we have a chance.”

Asked about losing four games on the bounce for the first time, he added: “It always happens one time in your lifetime, right? Always there is a first time,” he said of losing a record that stretches back to his first managerial post at Barcelona in 2006.

“We have to change it and get back to winning. We are in the position that we are in and hopefully when we get the players back I don’t have any doubts that we will be back. This is my challenge – our challenge – and I’d like to face it. I will not step back at all. More than ever I want to do it. So we will try again. We must clear our heads and the players come back fit – this is the target.”