Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says it is tough for his players to “defend a legacy” and questioned why he should change his tactics despite a run of five successive defeats.
Not since his first season at City in 2016-17, when for a long time it looked possible they would fail to qualify for the Champions League, has Guardiola’s team been questioned in the way it is being now.
Scrutiny is intense on City right now, from the age of Guardiola’s players and the injuries some of them have suffered, to their transfer business and the form of Erling Haaland.
Yet Guardiola is refusing to contemplate changes to his philosophy and is keen to avoid negative knee-jerk reactions over players who have won four Premier League titles in a row and an historic Treble as recently as 2023.
“What should I change?” he said. “We are big believers in the process and the fundamentals we have to do.
“I think we deserve some patience when we lose games. You are defending a legacy, tradition and success and that is so difficult to handle.”
