- Man City ended their winless streak with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Leicester
- Guardiola admitted that his team escaped with three points and was the worst team
- LISTEN NOW: It's all starting! New line-up, some new faces, but optimism has faded at Old Trafford
Pep Guardiola celebrated his 500th game in charge of Manchester City with a victory which he believes will help rebuild the shattered confidence of his Premier League champions.
Goals in each half from Savinho and Erling Haaland, ending a four-match goal drought, gave City just their second win in 10 league games against a Leicester team that deserved more.
City are still far behind leaders Liverpool and their chances of a fifth successive title look remote, although Guardiola hopes better times are just around the corner.
“We need to win to clear our minds and our souls and see, 'Okay, we can win games,' he said. 'I never thought it would be this hard and maybe it's a good thing.
'Relief is the right word, rather than happiness. We have to improve a lot and the result will improve us. We will return to our best level, that's for sure, and the result helps us a lot.
'We all needed it. Let's hope this improves our mood. Leicester were much better for much of the game and we don't have enough energy to last the 90 minutes, but hopefully in the new year it will help us recover a little.
Erling Haaland scored just his second league goal in 50 days against Leicester on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola's team faced 11 shots against Leicester and only had 46 per cent possession.
The Spaniard admitted he felt “relieved” after Manchester City claimed their second win in 14 games.
“I always thought a run like this could happen because football is not predictable, but even though I knew I could never have expected there to be so many games we couldn't win.
'It has been an incredible learning experience and this victory is just one game. “We'll see what happens in January.”
Haaland's goal was only his second in the league since November 9, when Guardiola revealed that his star striker had recently become a father for the first time.
Haaland admitted: “It wasn't the ideal performance, but the result is the most important thing to clear our minds.” It's always a relief when you score. Now we can rest a little.'
Despite recent problems, Guardiola's eight and a half years in Manchester have been remarkably successful, with the 2023 treble being his crowning glory. The 53-year-old also signed a new two-year contract with the club in November.
“I know that the last 13 or 14 games have not been good, but we have to be very happy and content,” he added. 'We have done many things that will be remembered forever. “Maybe this period will make us realize how nice it was and hopefully we can come back.”
After starting with a win and a draw, Leicester have lost their last four games and remain in the bottom three, although this performance left manager Ruud van Nistelrooy feeling optimistic.
The Dutchman said: “Because of the performance, it hurts me a little that we didn't get anything out of the game.” “It's a shame, but it's a foundation to build on.”