Pep Guardiola has blamed himself for Manchester City's derby defeat to Manchester United on Sunday, saying he is "not good enough".
Man City were 1-0 up at home to their Manchester rivals in the 88th minute, before Bruno Fernandes and Amad scored within the space of two minutes to turn the match around. It was the latest into a match that a reigning champion has led in a Premier League game and lost.
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Guardiola's side have now lost eight of their last 11 matches in all competitions and have slipped to fifth in the Premier League table, nine points off leaders Liverpool.
"The results are not good, the game was not exceptional. I know the situation, I understand but the reality is this," Guardiola told BBC Match of the Day.
"They have to know that these situations happen. In the box you have to be careful. It's not about Matheus [Nunes, who conceded the penalty], he played really good in not his position at full-back. But it's not about that, we have to play better. The result will help us to take our best but right now we don't have it. The way I learn is to keep going.
"I'm not good enough. I am the boss, the manager, I have to find solutions and so far I haven't. That's the reality. We want to play better, create chances. But at the moment it's not possible."
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
15 | +18 | 36 |
| 2 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
16 | +18 | 34 |
| 3 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
16 | +14 | 30 |
| 4 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
16 | +2 | 28 |
| 5 |
Man City
MCI
|
16 | +5 | 27 |
| 6 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
16 | -1 | 25 |
'It's getting worse and worse'
Guardiola added to Sky Sports: "This year it happens many times unfortunately. We gave away many things. We are not nice in the way we played. Before it's so fluid, now we're struggling for different reasons. A lot of defeats. We put everything in and the game was almost closed. They had more possession first half but nothing special. We give away two goals, very difficult.
"Previously we didn't lose that many in two seasons. Now we've done it in eight games. You have to defend. We have lost a lot of games. It's difficult. We have to move on and try to find the solution and try to win games.
"I think in nine years it wasn't the toughest defeat. Champions League defeats harder. But at the moment, we need results to lift our mood. It's getting worse and worse. I have to find the solution. So far I didn't find it and this is the truth."
'We're making stupid decisions and playing like U15s'
Man City midfielder Bernardo Silva says the team are making "stupid decisions" and that the blame for City's poor form lays with the players, whom he says are acting like "under-15s".
“We totally deserved what happened. At this level, if it’s a game or two, you can say that they are being lucky. If it’s 10 games, it’s not about that," he told Sky Sports.
"If in the 87th minute of a derby, you are winning 1-0 with a corner for your team and the ball ends up with your ‘keeper and a penalty for them. If you make these kinds of stupid decisions with three or four minutes to go, you deserve to pay for that.
"If you look at the game, there was only one team that could win. But at the end, we lost, and it’s not one game, it’s a lot of games lately.
"We have to look at ourselves. It’s not about luck. It’s the decisions you make. Today, in the last minutes we played like under-15s and we paid the price.”
More problems than just Rodri absence?
Much has been made of Man City being without perhaps their most important player in Rodri, who is out for the season with a knee injury. But can one player's absence cause such a drop-off in form?
Michael Owen, the former Premier League striker and title-winner with Man Utd, thinks City's run of results has caused their players to question themselves. The equaliser came courtesy of two mistakes by Matheus Nunes, firstly an underhit backpass that let in Amad, whom he then fouled for a penalty.
"Man City just don't know how to get a win at the moment," Owen said. "One-nil up, in control, then all of a sudden they hit the self-destruct button again.
"[Matheus] Nunes' head has gone. Look at Pep in the background. He can't believe it. Nunes has made the most horrific backpass. Make one mistake, that's fine, the goalkeeper's held Amad up. The attack was fine. Just stay clam. Then he loses his head again! Two monumental mistakes in seconds."
On Pep, Owen added: "You can't be a multiple winner and just be a one-man team. Pep's the best manager in the world but even he must be scratching his head thinking how he can get his side out of this mess. It has to be a mental thing, they're shot to bits."
