UCL: Pep Guardiola comes out fighting as Man City hit ‘dark place’

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has come out fighting as he contemplates his side’s worst sequence of results since 2018.

The 4-1 Champions League defeat by Sporting in Lisbon was City’s third loss in a row.

Only once during Guardiola’s reign did City lose three times in a row in a single season.

Although he rejected skipper Bernardo Silva’s post-match assertion that the club is currently in a “dark place”, Guardiola also accepted after a defeat of this size, words are largely meaningless.

However, he is not backing away from the challenge.

“We knew it would be a tough season at the start,” he said. “I like it. I love it. I want to face it and lift my players.

“I won’t give up, that’s for sure.”