Rico Lewis admits Manchester City’s confidence is smashed – and things are “just not right.”
Things have gone from bad to utterly abysmal for the nosediving Premier League champions. Saturday’s 2-1 loss at Aston Villa was a ninth defeat in 12 games and they’ve mustered just one win in that miserable run. Defender Lewis, 20, conceded the battered heavyweights are struggling for answers as their alarming crisis deepens.
He said: “There’s positives and negatives to the game. Conceding first isn’t the ideal situation. Even when we conceded we still had the majority of the ball which is our game. That’s what we’re built on: having the ball.
“Maybe [we could] create more chances around the box. Compared to some other games that we’ve not won or drawn, we’ve not had as much control as we had today.
“We had so much of the ball we need to create more chances. But it’s difficult when they drop so deep. There’s different things to put your finger on. But it’s just not right at the moment.”
Lewis insists City’s experienced professionals are doing their bit to stem the tide – but the time for talking is over as they prepare to face Everton on Boxing Day. He said: “Of course, there’s leaders in the dressing room that are natural leaders.
“They can speak, everyone listens and everyone agrees. But when it comes down to it, it’s not what is said in the changing room, it’s affecting the pitch and what we’re doing on the pitch.
“That’s what needs to be solved. Nobody is going onto the pitch saying ‘I’m not doing that’, or ‘I don’t want to win’. It’s difficult right now but we have to stick together.”
City have conceded a staggering 27 goals in the last dozen games and heads appear to drop after one mistake.
Asked if confidence is an issue, Lewis – who came in for dropped captain Kyle Walker – revealed: “That’s one of the main things. When we concede it’s like when we concede we’re not allowed to concede. As if it’s not a normal thing that’s part of the game.
“Everyone in world football concedes a goal but because we hold ourselves to such high standards, when we concede we’re so disappointed in ourselves.
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