Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola cut a frustrated figure after his side’s 1-1 draw with Everton at the Etihad on Boxing Day.
The result extended City’s poor form, with the defending Premier League champions now winning just once in their last 13 games across all competitions.
Erling Haaland had a golden opportunity to seal the win in the second half but saw his penalty saved, leaving City to settle for a point.
Despite dominating possession and creating numerous chances, City couldn’t find the finishing touch, a recurring issue in recent weeks.
Guardiola’s men have now slipped further away from the top of the table, sitting seventh and falling 12 points behind league leaders Liverpool, who have played one game fewer.
With their title hopes all but over, City’s focus has shifted to securing a Champions League spot, a task that looks increasingly challenging as their slump continues.
Speaking to Amazon Prime after the match, Guardiola expressed both disappointment and a cautious sense of optimism about the team’s performance.
He praised his players for their effort but admitted the team is struggling to turn good performances into results.
“We played really good, but they are in the period right now where it happens. We create, we concede the first time they arrive, but, yeah, keep going,” Guardiola said.
When asked about his team’s confidence, the City boss emphasized that results are key to rebuilding belief.
“Confidence will come with the results because always it is in our mind. The performance against that team was really cool. Defensively, offensively. We shoot a lot in the 18-yard box, but unfortunately, we couldn’t get the result we wanted,” he added.
Guardiola also highlighted the importance of mental recovery as City prepare to face Leicester on Sunday. “It is recovery, just three days, and we need to go there with the best mentality as possible. That is all we need to do,” he said.
City defender Manuel Akanji echoed Guardiola’s frustrations, feeling the draw was not a fair reflection of the game. “I don’t think so, no. I think we did way more throughout the game. We created lots of chances. Unfortunately, we only scored one goal and we conceded one, out of basically nothing. That is how football is,” Akanji said.
The Swiss defender was particularly critical of City’s inability to capitalize on their dominance, as well as a late defensive lapse that almost cost them the match.
“This was a game today where we were able to score two, three, four goals, but it didn’t want to go in. I’m being honest with you, it can’t happen that we nearly lose the game in the last minute. We are trying to attack and then we lose the ball, and it’s a six-against-two situation in front of our goal. Luckily, I could block the shot,” he said.
On the possibility of re-entering the title race, Akanji was realistic, admitting the team’s focus needs to shift to smaller goals for now.
“The season is not finished, but that [being in the title race] is not our target at the moment. We need to focus on game by game, and the next one is coming against Leicester. It won’t be easy on the shape that we are in,” Akanji said.
Despite the disappointment, he found positives in the performance, noting, “We did lots of things great. We defended well, we attacked well, we just weren’t able to finish the actions. If we are able to finish them, I think there would have been three or four goals for us.”
Manchester City now faces the daunting task of recovering their form ahead of a trip to Leicester. With mounting pressure to secure a top-four finish, Guardiola’s side will need to deliver more than just good performances to salvage their season.
