Pep Guardiola admits his Man City side have lost their fear factor – as the Catalan claims Champions League qualification would be a ‘success’

Pep Guardiola admitted Manchester City have lost the fear factor as they head into a daunting run of fixtures that could define their top four hopes.

City’s next six games are against the rest of the current top six – plus Tottenham away next month – and Guardiola harbours concerns about their capability to handle the ‘big stages’ following Wednesday’s capitulation at Paris Saint-Germain.

The Catalan, who faces former assistant Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, suggested that tactics employed by opposition coaches mean City’s air of invincibility no longer exists.

‘Before, a team never made man-marking against us,’ Guardiola said. ‘I remember everyone came here to the Etihad and stayed back.

‘The first team I saw man-marking was Neil Warnock at Cardiff. And after, (Gian Piero) Gasperini with Atalanta. Now everyone does it. Everyone comes here, it doesn’t matter, man to man. They just jump to Ederson or Stefan (Ortega).

‘You have to adapt, do it better, otherwise you are not qualifying for the Champions League.’

Pep Guardiola admitted his Man City side have lost their fear factor in their opponents’ eyes

His side are struggling in the Premier League, as they sit fifth and two points off the top four

City must beat Club Brugge next week if they wish to make the Champions League Round of 16

While claiming that extra pace would help his team, Guardiola insisted that City’s issues, laid bare in Paris, are almost exclusively a misuse of possession which exacerbates existing defensive problems.

‘We have to pass the ball more,’ he added. ‘We want to run too quick, make the actions without our composure. If you have the ball and don’t pass properly to your mate, everything is so difficult.

‘You lose balls that normally didn’t happen in the past and you have to run more, more duels and we’re not great at that. Look at the team: Savinho, Doku, Kevin, even Phil and Gundo right now. Any team in the 20 in the Premier League is better than us with that.

‘Three months ago, I smelt that this season we are going to suffer and it has happened and it is going to happen. When you said, “after Ipswich Town, they’re back” or “against Leicester, they’re back”, it takes time, still. Next season we will be back, really. Now it is a question to survive, to qualify.’

Guardiola agreed that qualifying for next year’s Champions League would feel like a trophy and sympathised with ex-Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho when he branded finishing second behind City in 2018 as one of his finest achievements as a manager.

‘There are seasons where there are a lot of difficulties. How do you stand up? I remember Jose, I don’t know the reality of United, but he said many times that finishing second in that season was the biggest success. I understand completely. When Rodri is here, when also defenders are here, when many players are out there playing, we will fight.’