- Man City fell to 2-0 defeat to Juventus on Wednesday
- Cityzens at risk of failing to qualify from Champions League league phase
- Guardiola & Gundogan offer different opinions on team's struggles
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has rejected Ilkay Gundogan's suggestion that the team are struggling with a mental issue after Wednesday's 2-0 defeat to Juventus.
Goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie resigned City to their seventh defeat in their last ten games and left Guardiola's side staring at elimination from the Champions League. They sit 22nd in the standings, one point above the elimination spots and the same total away from their next opponents, fellow strugglers Paris Saint-Germain.
"[Confidence] is a big part of it," Gundogan told TNT Sports after the game. "That's a mental issue as well.
"You can see that sometimes we miss the ball or lose a duel and you see that we drop immediately and lose the rhythm. [Opponents] don't even need to do much, but it has such a big effect on us right now. They are able to break our rhythm with the smallest thing.
"Even more you have to do the simple things as good as possible and create and 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."
Guardiola, however, rejected Gundogan's suggestions that City are battling their own heads.
"I am not agreeing with Ilkay," he said. "Of course it is tough but, except one or two games in this period, we've played good."
The City boss continued: "Of course I question myself but I'm stable in good moments and bad moments. 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."
