Manager is 'sad' for his players as toll mounts

Pep Guardiola is feeling the pain of Manchester City's crushing loss of form but insists "the soul and the spirit of this team is there."

- Eleanor Crooks

Wednesday's 2-0 Champions League defeat by Juventus made it seven losses and only one victory from City's last 10 games. "We are sad," said Guardiola. "I'm sad for the players because the way they run and they fight with the circumstances they have. Our fans, maybe they are sad, I understand completely because maybe we lose seven games, eight games in one season or in two seasons, and now a month and a half.

"But they know this group of players have made an era that no one has done. The numbers and records, now negative ones but the positive ones, I encourage the fans to support them until the end because they deserve it.