Pep Guardiola has confidently declared that “Manchester City will come back” after a run of one win in 13 games has thrown their season into turmoil.
City will hope to rediscover their spark against Leicester on Sunday, live on Sky Sports, after another frustrating result for the ailing champions at home to Everton on Boxing Day.
They at least avoided the outrage of a tenth defeat in thirteen games in all competitions, but the surrender of two points left them fourteen behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, who also have a game in hand.
With just one win since October, it is a dramatic fall from grace for Guardiola's previously all-conquering side
Guardiola said: “Since I arrived in my career as a footballer, as a manager, I think that every one of us, in our job, wants to please people, wants to do our job well. There is no denying that. That is not a question mark, I would say.
“So it's easy to understand. The biggest test when things go bad. The biggest test I've done.
“We'll be back and that's what has already happened. But that reminds me of how good the past was. That's the truth.
“Maybe now I realize what we've done. Because sometimes you have injuries and how many years we were so incredibly, incredibly consistent, you know?
And the main reason is that there are seven, eight important injured players. And after every three days it gets harder.
But I see the team, the spirit, how it was yesterday [Wednesday’s] training, how focused they are in everything that we're trying to practice, how, you know, trying to do it.
Manuel Akanji also remains confident City will turn the corner ahead of the trip to relegation-threatened Leicester.
The Switzerland international said: “We have to keep working and the next chance is in a few days. We can't do anything else at the moment. We are trying everything.”
“We have had a lot of injuries so it is not easy at the moment, but even now we will find a way to get out of this and luck will be on our side again.”
Jones knows prediction: No reprieve for Pep
Sky Sports betting expert Lewis Jones:
How bad must Leicester be if Manchester City are 1/3 of the way to victory with Sky Bet, despite having won just once in their last thirteen games?
Furthermore, Guardiola's men have conceded 26 goals in all competitions since the start of November. At that time, FC Heidenheim 1846 (28) was the only team from Europe's five major leagues to concede more.
It's amazing.
Yet gamblers are still happy to back them when they want to win football matches against great odds, it seems.
I can leave them alone, even though Leicester have conceded the most shots, shots on target and goals conceded since December 3, Ruud van Nistelrooy's first game in charge.
He has made little impact; in fact, it may become easier to score against them.
From a betting perspective, though, you'll just have to keep betting on City's defense to keep a clean sheet and Leicester to have scored in all but one of their 10 home games this season. Either team that scores more than 2.5 goals should end up at 4/5 on Sky Bet.
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