PEP GUARDIOLA has admitted his Manchester City team have lost their fear factor.
And unless he can help them rediscover it quickly, they face missing out on Champions League football next year.
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City’s mini-revival was ended by Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday — and they will be tested again when top-four rivals Chelsea visit the Etihad on Saturday.
Guardiola has noticed how more teams are now ready to go toe to toe when they visit the home of the Prem champs.
He said: “Before, teams never did man-marking. 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, it doesn’t matter to them.
“You have to adapt, do it better with the ball, otherwise you are not qualifying for the Champions League.
“Chelsea are not in it this year, Manchester United are not in it — it can happen to us.”
A win over his old apprentice Enzo Maresca’s Blues would put City back in the top four.
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But they will be severely tested next month as they take on Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle and Tottenham.
Pep added: “There is something I’m missing and I have to discover it quickly.
“The players run a lot but the other teams play better. They have more physicality and intensity but all the teams are better at that than us, for the age, for many things.
“The toughest and quickest players we had decided to leave.”
City will have their new signings Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis in the squad but all are likely to be on the bench.
Asked if there could be more new faces coming this window, Pep said: “Yeah, maybe.”
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