Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola urges his team to stay united despite struggles

Despite suffering a shocking 4-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Nov 23, Guardiola's men remained composed. The loss, their most lopsided at Etihad Stadium, left fans reeling but the Catalan coach maintained a measured tone in his post-game comments.

“I’ve been here as a player, maybe not as a manager,” said Guardiola.

“There are not fairytales in life and sport, sometimes you have to live through these situations. You have to accept it. You can’t blame each other; stay together, continue to do what we have done.

“Run away? Absolutely not, we have to stand up more than ever. What will define us is when we fail - we stand up and face it.”

The defeat left City five points adrift of league leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand. It came two days after Guardiola signed a two-year contract extension and on the heels of the international break.

While his players are struggling mightily, Guardiola said he had faith in them.

“I don’t know what will happen this season but not for one second will I not believe in these players,” he said.
“There is no team in the world that can sustain success for eight, nine, 10 years in a row.

“Of course everything is not fine, but what we try to do is analyse it. Let’s go to the next game and see what happens.”