Rico Lewis urges Manchester City to ‘stick together’ to end slump in form

Rico Lewis has called connected his Manchester City team-mates to “stick together” pursuing their sixth Premier League conclusion of the play against Aston Villa.

City’s latest nonaccomplishment came astatine the hands of Aston Villa, who ran retired 2-1 winners complete the existent champions to manus them a ninth nonaccomplishment from their past 12 matches successful each competitions.

Pep Guardiola’s broadside went down courtesy of goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers, pinch Phil Foden’s last-minute consolation not capable to rescue thing from different sub-par performance.

City person already mislaid doubly arsenic galore convention games this word arsenic they did passim the full of past play connected their measurement to winning a 4th successive title.

Lewis, 20, admitted it is “difficult” times astatine City correct now.

He said: “There’s leaders successful the dressing room that are earthy leaders. They tin speak, everyone listens and everyone agrees.

“But erstwhile it comes down to it, it’s not what is said successful the changing room, it’s affecting the transportation and what we’re doing connected the pitch. That’s what needs to beryllium solved.

“Nobody is going onto the transportation saying ‘I’m not doing that’, aliases ‘I don’t want to win’. It’s difficult correct now but we person to instrumentality together.

“There’s different things to put your digit connected but it’s conscionable not correct astatine the moment.”

City’s problems astatine the backmost are continuing to turn – they person only managed 1 cleanable expanse successful their past 10 successful each competitions.

Conceding doubly connected Saturday took their play tally to 25, only 9 short of their full passim the 2023-24 Premier League campaign.

Lewis added: “It’s for illustration erstwhile we concede we’re not allowed to concede. As if it’s not a normal point that’s portion of the game.

“Everyone successful world shot concedes a extremity but because we clasp ourselves to specified precocious standards, erstwhile we concede we’re truthful disappointed successful ourselves, that’s erstwhile you’ll spot much mistakes come.

“At the commencement of the play we conceded a fewer goals first but we conscionable bounced backmost consecutive away. That tin beryllium down to confidence, galore things, tired legs. But we request to get backmost to the measurement we want to be.”