Guardiola Comes out Fighting as Man City Hit 'Dark Place'

Lisbon, 6 Nov (ONA) --- 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."

Few will have sympathy with City over their current injury issues.

Guardiola’s decision to hand a first start to FA Youth Cup-winning skipper Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, a day after his 19th birthday and less than a week after his senior debut, underlined the issues he is dealing with in central defence.

Neither John Stones nor Ruben Dias made the trip, while Nathan Ake remained on the substitutes' bench throughout.

Rico Lewis played at right-back in the absence of skipper Kyle Walker, and Kevin de Bruyne was only risked for the final six minutes.

Defensive midfielder Rodri is, of course, out for the season.

Guardiola said the current experience feels like his debut campaign in 2016-17, when City struggled for consistency and were fifth after a 4-0 defeat at Everton in January before embarking on a run of one loss in 17 league games, which eventually led them to finish in third spot.

City have another tough away trip to Brighton on Saturday, BBC sports reported.

It is not entirely clear who Guardiola will have available, but he will be desperate to avoid a fourth straight reverse.

City are second in the English Premier League (EPL), two points behind leaders Liverpool, but four clear of third-placed Nottingham Forest and sixth in the expanded UEFA Champions League table.

--- Ends/Khalid