Rio Ferdinand has claimed Manchester City have 'a broken mentality' after their dismal run of form continued on Wednesday night.
Pep Guardiola's side face a battle to stay in the Champions League after their latest defeat in the competition. They went down 2-0 to Juventus in Turin in round six, leaving them 22nd in the table.
The top 24 teams advance to the next round – the top eight skip the play-offs – and City, who won the competition in the 2022-2023 season, are not just one point above the elimination places.
Their next match will be against Paris Saint-Germain away from home, with the French side occupying the first elimination spot, meaning anyone can take part in the final match, which City will play at home to Club Brugge at the end of January.
But Wednesday's defeat means City have now scored seven times since their League Cup defeat to Tottenham at the end of October, 10 games ago, and there are few signs of their fortunes turning any time soon.
The reason for this, according to Ferdinand, is mentality. Speaking on TNT Sports, in response to an honest interview from City's Ilkay Gundogan, the pundit explained how the mental side of the game could have such an impact.
“One of the telling things from that interview is that it feels like there's a bit of a fractured mentality in the group,” he said. 'From a team made up of players who, if they made mistakes, were quickly forgotten – that's one of Pep's things – they make mistakes now and there's a hangover for the next few stages of the game and that's when mistakes happen You think another one will come at any moment.
'There seems to be confusion about how to respond and what to do. It sounds like they have their finger on the pulse of what's going on, they'll know, but getting people with a lack of confidence onto the field… they're not used to it, that's the hard part. '
It has been a miserable campaign domestically for the Premier League champions, who are eight points behind leaders Liverpool – who have a game in hand – in the league, out of the League Cup and reeling in Europe.
All is not lost, however, as they still have the FA Cup to play for and can bounce back in the Champions and Premier League.
It has been a season of contrast to what it has been like in previous years, with Guardiola leading the side to European success and four Premier League titles in a row.
But according to Ferdinand, that is exactly why they will be able to put things right sooner or later.
“You can't be as successful as them and not be able to get this back on track,” he said. 'That can't be right.
'They couldn't have asked for a better match than the derby against Man United (this weekend). It won't regain all the confidence, but it will go a long way in revitalizing the team.
'I support the mighty red colours. But it is a battle of distrust.'
Joleon Lescott, meanwhile, added: 'City won't be that bad for the rest of the season and Pep's tenure. The idea is not to turn it upside down and become great again, but to stop the rot.”
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