Bernardo Silva conceded Manchester City were in a “dark place” after they suffered a 4-1 hammering at Sporting CP tonight – their third successive defeat.
On a night billed as Pep Guardiola versus Ruben Amorim, it was the incoming Manchester United boss who was a handsome victor, earning the acclaim of the Jose Alvalade crowd on his final home game in charge.
Former Coventry striker Viktor Gyokores scored a hat-trick for Sporting as City crumbled after dominating the first half.
Phil Foden put the visitors ahead before Gyokores took centre stage. Erling Haaland also missed a second-half penalty to compound a miserable night for City, who have not lost three gams on the bounce since the 2017-18 season.
“We’re in a bit of a dark place right now, and everything looks to be going in the wrong way.”
Bernardo Silva reflects on Man City’s poor form in recent weeks 🗣
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Silva told TNT Sports: “It’s disappointing because we’re a bit in a dark place right now. Everything looks to be going the wrong way.
“Even when we are playing well we don’t score our chances and we concede too easily. We definitely need to look inside and check what we’re not doing well. And we need to get better very quickly otherwise it will be very difficult to come back from these losses.
“It’s difficult to find reasons for what is happening to us. I don’t remember in seven-and-a-half seasons this team losing three games in a row. It just looks like this team is going the wrong way now.
“We need to be better, obviously. Our injured players need to come back because we need them and it’s just not good enough tonight.”
Guardiola – I want to fight
Guardiola admitted it was a ‘difficult moment’ but said it made him even more determined to put it right.
He said: “Now is the difficult moment in terms of results but I want to be here. I want to fight and not give up, I like this challenge as a manager I have ahead of me. Who wants to follow us will be there.
“It is football. Maybe what we lived in the past is the exception. Sometimes you can lose. We were in the position where they punished us for the few chances they had and we struggled for the chances we had.
“The first half was almost enough to finish the game and then we were losing 3-1.
“It can happen. After the third and the fourth we have to avoid it. Emotionally we were not stable enough and in this competition you have to be stable. At 2-1, many things can happen. We have to be emotionally more stable.”
