Manchester City’s Spanish manager Pep Guardiola gives instructions to Manchester City’s defender Ruben Dias from the touchline during the English Premier League match against Liverpool at Anfield in Liverpool on Sunday. (AFP)
Manchester City have the character to come through the rough patch of form that saw the defending champions slump to a fourth straight Premier League defeat at Liverpool on Sunday, defender Ruben Dias said.Goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah gave leaders Liverpool a 2-0 win at Anfield which left City 11 points behind Arne Slot’s side in fifth place.City, who lost four league games in a row for the first time since 2008, are winless in their last seven matches in all competitions, a run that includes six defeats and a 3-3 draw at home against Feyenoord in the Champions League.They have conceded 19 goals during the winless streak, shipping four in matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Sporting. Prior to the slump they had conceded 11 in 14 games.“I will not talk about the little details but focus on the bigger picture,” said Dias, who was at fault in the lead up to Liverpool’s second.“That is, even though it was a difficult moment I did see a lot of character and I did see the fans behind us and that is the only way we are going to go through it.”City, who have won six of the last seven Premier League titles, have been hit hard by injuries to key players such as Rodri, Mateo Kovacic and John Stones but manager Pep Guardiola has been able to guide the side through injury crises in previous seasons. “This is just part of our legacy. We have won so much and still we are where we are and this happens,” Dias added.“We have been able to be versatile, adapt and keep on moving forward and thinking one game at a time... That is what we need to get back to.”Guardiola was met with chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” from the home support after the defeat.“All the stadiums want to sack me, it started at Brighton (in City’s 2-1 defeat on November 9),” said Guardiola.“Maybe they are right with the results we’ve been having.”Defeat continued Guardiola’s miserable record at Anfield.“I didn’t expect that at Anfield. I didn’t expect it from the people from Liverpool but it’s fine,” added Guardiola.
“It’s part of the game, and I understand completely. We’ve had incredible battles together. I have a respect for them.”