Guardiola admits City lack fear factor as Walker completes loan to Milan
Guardiola admits City lack fear factor as Walker completes loan to Milan
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Pep Guardiola has admitted Manchester City have lost their fear factor and need to “recover who we are” but backed his team to challenge for honours next season, while Kyle Walker’s loan move to Milan was confirmed. The reigning Premier League champions are fifth in the table and 12 points behind the leaders, Liverpool, before Saturday’s visit of Chelsea after a dismal first half of their title defence. City defeated Chelsea on the opening day of the season at Stamford Bridge but that accounts for one of only two victories over teams in the top nine, the other being a 3-0 home win against Nottingham Forest.
![[Kyle Walker signs on loan for Milan]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/93535906953bf0146bb135cff1b1ff744b873158/1080_377_3894_2336/master/3894.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
“We have to recover who we are, what we do with the ball,” Guardiola acknowledged. “The first team I said years ago [who] made a mark [on City] was Neil Warnock’s Cardiff, and we suffered. And after Atalanta with [Gian Piero] Gasperini. Now everyone is, doesn’t matter.
“I remember people came here and they had to stay back, leave the process. Now everyone comes here, doesn’t matter, man to man. They just jump to Ederson, Stefan [Ortega], so then you have to adapt. And after that do it better with the ball. Otherwise you will be happy not qualifying for the Champions League.”.
A need for a squad refresh has led to the arrival of three players at the Etihad Stadium in the past week. Omar Marmoush joined from Eintracht Frankfurt for £59.1m, following on from Vitor Reis from Palmeiras for £29.6m and Abdukodir Khusanov from Lens for £33.8m. All three will go straight into the squad for Chelsea’s visit, for which Rúben Dias and Jérémy Doku are ruled out through injury.
