Guardiola tells players to keep the faith: De Bruyne

Pep Guardiola says he wants Sergio Aguero for as long as possible after describing him as a “special player”.

He was due to play in the 4-0 defeat away to Barcelona last week, but pulled out on the eve of the match because, in the words of Guardiola, his captain did not “feel right”. “I will still decide which guys because I need today to see the players in a training session”.

“This manager has got a very strong idea of what he wants to do and I think the team has bought into it as well”.

Guardiola, however, says his players’ reaction to their mistakes is the key issue that must be addressed.

The Belgium global, who won City’s Player of the Year award in his debut season at the Etihad Stadium and has been nominated for the 2016 Ballon d’Or, says his performances since returning to England prove Mourinho wrong. The Argentina global was benched for City’s crucial Champions League tie against Barcelona last week but Guardiola insists he wants the striker to stay at the club for “a long time”.

“They are going to lose points too, so we are in the run, but there is no way to hide because I think our faces speak by themselves”, Mourinho said.

De Bruyne was man of the match when City beat United at Old Trafford in the Premier League last month and he insists he has no desire for revenge over Mourinho when he returns to the same venue for an EFL Cup game on Wednesday.

Attack: Kevin De Bruyne has been ruled out with a calf injury that forced him off at half-time on Sunday so Nolito should come back in to the starting eleven and join Raheem Sterling in attack.

“I know the fans expect a lot from us, as players, but we are capable of losing and drawing as well as winning”.

“We were better than our opponents and we created many chances, but we missed the last pass”.

“I think it is hard with this team because they are good at pressing and it was hard to play our game today”.

“We haven’t won in five games now, but it is a game of football, and this can happen”.

“Kevin (De Bruyne) has a knock and he can not play”.

Kompany had returned from his latest lay-off – the 34th of his City career – in the previous game against Everton and was expected to be in the matchday squad at the Nou Camp.

“But we’ll take the point and we’ll keep going”.