Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has come out fighting after Sporting’s 4-1 victory over his side in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night.
The Premier League champions endured a third consecutive defeat across three different competitions this week, this time in Europe’s premier club competition after losses in the English game.
A 2-1 loss against Tottenham in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup was followed up by the same scoreline on the south coast against Bournemouth, before the worst scoreline of the lot would follow in the Portuguese capital.
The declining performances and worsening run of results has led to some questioning whether the current Manchester City side are still fighting for their manager, and whether Pep Guardiola himself is losing energy for the role.
However, speaking to television broadcasters after the drubbing in Lisbon this week, Pep Guardiola insisted that the challenge to bring Manchester City back to more positive results only reinforces his desire to be manager at the Etihad Stadium.
“It is what it is,” said Guardiola. “Now is a difficult moment in terms of results but I’m here! I want to be here! And I want to fight and not give up, I work hard, and I like this challenge that as a manager I have ahead of me, and who wants to follow me, follow us, they will be there!”
The same stance taken by Pep Guardiola was further issued during his post-match media conference as he explained, “I love it, I want to face it, and lift the players.”
“I am not giving up, maybe people are waiting [for me to give up], but I am not giving up!”
The challenges across competitions come thick and fast for Manchester City as they travel to face Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon in the fourth of four consecutive away matches across competitions.
The turnaround time remains tight for Manchester City’s players too, returning from Lisbon on Wednesday evening before making the journey to the south coast of England ahead of the weekend’s fixture on Friday evening.
