MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said it had sunk in during his team's shocking run of results, the worst stretch in his mostly glittering managerial career, how good they were after winning an unprecedented four straight Premier League titles.
City's 1-1 home draw with Everton on Boxing Day left them down in seventh place, five points off the top four and 14 adrift of leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand. They have won once in their last 13 games in all competitions.
"That makes me remember how good was the past," he said after Thursday's match. "That's the truth, that has made me realise now what we have done, because sometimes you have injuries, and how many years we were incredibly, incredibly consistent.
"But, yeah, you expect a little bit down. We didn't expect (this) much, and the main reason is having seven, eight important injured players.
"But I see the team, the spirit in training, how focused they are. And we saw (progress in Saturday's) game, we saw it, but unfortunately we could not get the result that we wanted."
Guardiola said this week that City were at risk of missing out on Champions League qualification this season in what would be a shocking turn of events for the reigning champions.
The 53-year-old, who signed a two-year contract extension last month, said frustration over poor results has not affected his desire to steer City back to their previous top form.
"I will not give up. I want to do it. And with the situations that we have, we have to do it," Guardiola said.
"Of course I want it. Everybody wants it. I don't want to disappoint my people, in terms of the club, in terms of the fans, or the people who love this club."
Guardiola shook his head when asked whether his team's slump had made him even more determined to please people.
"It has been since the arrival of my career as a football player, as a manager, I think every one of us in our job wants to please the people, we want to do good our jobs. That is undeniable. That is not a question mark, I would say."
If City are to right the ship, the next few weeks could be the best time to do it. Sunday's match at Leicester City is the first of four successive league games against teams in the bottom half of the table.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Ken Ferris)
