Pep Guardiola admitted he is grappling with self-doubt as Manchester City’s struggles deepen, with their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread after a 2-0 loss to Juventus on Wednesday.
Second-half goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie at the Allianz Stadium condemned City to their seventh defeat in 10 matches across all competitions, leaving them in a dismal 22nd place in the standings.
With only two games left in the group phase, automatic last-16 qualification seems out of reach. Guardiola’s men now face a fierce battle to remain in the top 24 and secure a playoff spot.
“Of course, I question myself, but I’m stable in good moments and bad moments,” Guardiola said.
“I try to find a way to do it. I’m incredibly honest. If we play good, I say we played good, and today I thought we played good.
“Our game will save us. We can do it. We conceded few chances compared to the Nottingham Forest game that we won. We’re making the right tempo.
“We missed the last pass, did not arrive in the six-yard box at the right time, or have the composure at the right moment.
“But I love my team. This is life, it happens. Sometimes you have a bad period, but I’m going to insist until we’re there.”
City now face a crucial trip to Paris Saint-Germain, who are also at risk of failing to qualify, next month.
Guardiola accepts the top 24 is now the only realistic target.
“It’s the target,” he said. “We need one point or three points. We go to Paris to try to do it, and the last game is at home.”
Veteran midfielder Ilkay Gündoğan said after the game that he felt City were suffering from a loss of confidence, but Guardiola dismissed his player’s comments.
“I do not agree with Ilkay,” he said. “Of course, it is tough, but except for one or two games in this period, we’ve played good.”
City now face another test of their resolve as they host rivals Manchester United in a derby on Sunday.
“It (confidence) is a big part of it. That’s a mental issue as well,” Gündoğan told TNT Sports.
“You can see that sometimes we miss the ball or lose a duel, and you see that we drop immediately and lose the rhythm. They [the opponents] don’t even need to do much, but it has such a big effect on us right now.
“Even more, you have to do the simple things as good as possible and create fluidity. Then it’s work hard again. This is how you get confidence back. Do the small and simple things, but in crucial moments, at the moment, we are always doing the wrong things.”
Juventus coach Thiago Motta was pleased with the hosts’ performance, which boosted their hopes of making the top eight.
“It was a deserved victory,” Motta said. “We had to defend as a team and be ready to attack with quality.
“We have shown we can compete at this level, and now we have to do it consistently.”