Rico Lewis explains how Man City are looking to end winless run

Rico Lewis has played down the bleakness surrounding Manchester City’s four-game winless run, insisting that the squad have the experience to get back on track.

Wednesday’s defeat to Aston Villa followed draws with Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham to leave the champions six points off Premier League leaders Arsenal after 15 matches. Lewis says the squad has faced harder challenges before and is certain boss Pep Guardiola will not let the current slump continue.

The manager says he takes responsibility for the dip in form after earlier in the week underlining his confidence that City would win a fourth straight title. In Tuesday’s press conference Guardiola defended his side after the draw with Spurs and hit back at comments from Gary Neville, who suggested the Treble winners had become complacent.

READ MORE: Neville labelled as 'ridiculous' for Man City criticism

READ MORE: Man City face new hurdle after Aston Villa defeat

Lewis has now attempted to quell any further furore around City’s drop-off and has reassured fans that the side has come back from grimmer situations before and says the players are looking to focus on 'what we can control' to get back on track. “The players in that dressing room are world-class and they know how to get out of these things,” Lewis told club media.

“They’ve been in tough periods before, tougher than this. They’ll know more than me how to get out of these situations.

“I’m sure the manager and the players will not let this carry on in the near future and we’ll focus on what we can control, which is the next game against Luton.”

City mustered just two shots at Aston Villa’s goal in Wednesday’s defeat, with the hosts managing to fire in 22 efforts despite having less possession.