We believe in the process, says Foden

Manchester City’s players still have faith in manager Pep Guardiola, says striker Phil Foden after rivals Manchester United extended their terrible run of form.

Guardiola, 53, has won the Premier League four times in a row but defeat in Sunday’s derby left City fifth in the table and nine points behind leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand on their title rivals.

Amad Diallo’s Latvian goal meant Guardiola was in charge of eight defeats in his last 11 matches.

“We’re still nowhere near our level, but I still believe we’re playing well enough to get points and results,” said Foden.

“It’s about staying focused for the full 90 minutes, but we keep switching off at important times. We just need to focus properly.

“We are sticking together, regrouping and believing in ourselves after what we have achieved in the past.

“We still believe in the process and the manager – I’m sure if we do that we’ll get back to winning ways and get back to our level.”

Guardiola signed a new contract until 2027 during a poor run that began with Tottenham’s Carabao Cup exit on October 30.

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— Premier League (@premierleague) December 16, 2024

That defeat means they now have midweek off to reflect and refresh ahead of what looks to be a tough Premier League away game against Aston Villa on Saturday.

“I can’t put my finger on what’s going on,” Foden said after the United defeat.

“I thought the performance was more than enough to get the result, but we came away with no points and it seems to be the same story at the moment. We just have to stick together.

“The dressing room is obviously going to be down and sad at the moment but we can’t think too much about this – we have to try to pull ourselves together.

“In football there’s always another chance to get it right.”

City’s trip to Villa at the weekend is followed by a Boxing Day game at home to Everton before rounding off 2024 with a trip to Leicester.

“It’s about keeping our mentality strong for the whole 90 minutes and we’re not doing that at the moment,” Foden said.

“We have to go again and show character to come back after this relegation.

“It’s not a time to lament – it’s important to stick together, stay strong and start again. I’m sure we’ll be back.”