Pep Guardiola admits that his Manchester City team has lost the fear factor, since Catalan says that qualifying for the Champions League would be a “success”

Pep Guardiola admitted that Manchester City has lost the fear factor for a series of discouraging games that could define their four main hopes.

The next six City games will be against the rest of the current six (plus the Tottenham away from home next month) and Guardiola houses concerns about their ability to handle the “great stages” after Wednesday's capitulation in Paris Saint-Germain .

The Catalan, who today faces the Chelsea of ​​former assistant Enzo Maresca in Etihad Stadium, suggested that the tactics used by rival coaches mean that the invincibility air of the City does not exist anymore.

“Before, a team never marked us,” Guardiola said. 'I remember that everyone came to Etihad and stayed behind.

'The first team I saw marking the man was Neil Warnock in Cardiff. And then, (Gian Piero) Gasperini with the Atalanta. Now everyone does. Everyone comes here, it doesn't matter, from man to man. They simply jump to Ederson or Stefan (Ortega).

“You have to adapt, make it better, otherwise you will not qualify for the Champions League.”

Pep Guardiola admitted that his Manchester City has lost the fear factor in the eyes of his opponents

His team is spending trouble in the Premier League, since he is fifth and two points of the first four.

The City must defeat the Brujas club next week if you want to reach the round of 16 of the Champions League

While he said that an additional rhythm would help his team, Guardiola insisted that City problems, exposed in Paris, are almost exclusively a misuse of possession that exacerbates existing defensive problems.

“We have to pass the ball more,” he added. 'We want to run too fast, perform actions without our composure. If you have the ball and do not have fun with your partner, everything is very difficult.

“Balls are lost that normally did not happen in the past and you have to run more, more duels and we are not good at that. Look at the team: Savinho, Doku, Kevin, even Phil and Gundo right now. Any team between 20 The Premier League is better than us in that.

'Three months ago I felt that this season we were going to suffer and has happened and will happen. When you say “after Ipswich Town, they are back” or “against Leicester, they are back”, it still takes time. Next season we will really return. Now it is a matter of surviving, of qualifying. '

Guardiola agreed to qualify for the next year's champions League would feel like a trophy and sympathized with former Manchester United coach, José Mourinho, when he described the second place behind the City in 2018 as one of his best achievements as coach.

'There are seasons in which there are many difficulties. How do you stand up? I remember Joseph, I don't know the reality of United, but he said many times that ending second that season was the greatest success. I understand it completely. When Rodri is here, when the defenders are also, when there are many players playing, we will fight. “