Manchester City defender Ruben Dias has admitted that the Premier League champions are not meeting the standards needed to end the biggest crisis of Pep Guardiola's coaching career.
City lost seven of their last ten games on Sunday before the Manchester derby. They are already eight points behind Liverpool in the title race, having played a game more. And they face a Champions League play-off to reach the last 16 after suffering a 2-0 defeat at Juventus on Wednesday evening.
Dias said: “Fundamentally we weren't good enough. Our biggest problem will always be that we are not at the best level. Juventus is a very strong team, but the emphasis is mainly on ourselves: we have to be better. That's the mentality for us.
“We all know what we can do, but it's about trying to get back to that level. Yes, we had a good first half and we had chances, but with the kind of team we are, we don't leave a win by accident: we win and that's true.”
City looked a shadow of the team that won six of the last seven Premier League titles, including a record-breaking four in a row. And Guardiola is struggling to come up with answers.
Anything short of a win over United at the Etihad will increase the pressure on Guardiola, just weeks after the Catalan signed a two-year contract extension. Dias said: “A moment like this doesn't happen often for us at this club.
“Obviously there will always be difficult periods, but we have to look ahead, be positive and try to get better every day. That's the only way to get through it. You have to push yourself and the people next to you – keep believing in those next to you.
“We all know that the current moment is not the best and that we need to be better – individually and collectively. We are of course doing our best, but we have to do better.”
Guardiola insisted his side played well against Juventus. He said: “Of course I question myself, in the good moments, in the bad moments. I was stable in the good moments, I was stable in the bad moments. I'm trying to find the way, find the victory.
“The game was there. I'm incredibly honest when I know when we're not playing well or not playing well. We played well, very, very well. We didn't concede much, there was a transition, but I'm so proud of it these players.
“They gave everything and they tried and now we live in this period and hopefully we can change the results. I know it is difficult, in the Champions League in Europe. Go to Turin and Paris, our three games away were really hard. That's what you did to accept it.”
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