Manuel Akanji says Man City must change tactics vs Brighton following Arsenal defeat

The Manchester City dressing room was 'not a good mood' after defeat at Arsenal, but Manuel Akanji hopes that time away for the international break can help his teammates show a reaction to their recent dip in form.

City lost three games out of three without influential midfielder Rodri before the break, winning in the Champions League in between league reverses at Wolves and Arsenal. Having played four games in succession away from home, City return to the Etihad to face Brighton looking to avoid recording three Premier League defeats in a row for the first time in over seven years.

With the international break depriving City of the chance to get back to winning ways quickly, Akanji says that the squad must show a reaction to the Arsenal defeat when they return home this weekend. However, the defender also admitted that City won't be able to play their usual possession-based approach against Brighton on Saturday.

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"We had two losses in the Premier League and it's not something we are used to. It doesn't feel good," Akanji told Sky Sports.

"You can see in the changing room it wasn't a good mood. The good thing is we can show a reaction - we've got a game at the weekend at home with our fans and hopefully we can show a good performance and get three points.

"It doesn't feel good, we had two losses before the national team break but we had a loss as well. It's not easy but you go to the international break, hopefully you can get a bit of confidence up, and get together as a team and show the best you can."