"It's difficult right now but we have to stick together" - Rico Lewis sends message to Manchester City teammates after Villa loss

Manchester City youngster Rico Lewis has urged his teammates to stick together amid their dismal run of form. The Cityzens have lost nine of their last 12 games across competitions as Pep Guardiola is going through the worst phase of his illustrious career.

Manchester City have set remarkably high standards for themselves in recent years having won six Premier League titles in the last seven seasons. They have won as many as 18 trophies under the stewardship of Guardiola since 2016 but look almost unrecognizable now.

The Sky Blues suffered a 2-1 loss against Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday, December 21, suffering their sixth Premier League defeat of the season. Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers scored for the Villans while Phil Foden scored a late consolation goal for the Cityzens.

After the game, Rico Lewis admitted that his side are going through a difficult period. He urged that the players must stick together and believe in themselves if they have to turn around their fortunes. The versatile England international said, as quoted by The Daily Mail:

"There's leaders in the dressing room that are natural leaders. They can speak, everyone listens and everyone agrees. But when it comes down to it, it's not what is said in the changing room, it's affecting the pitch and what we're doing on the pitch. That's what needs to be solved."

"Nobody is going onto the pitch saying 'I'm not doing that', or 'I don't want to win'. It's difficult right now but we have to stick together. There's different things to put your finger on but it's just not right at the moment," Lewis added.

Lewis has claimed that Manchester City players must show more character to come back when they concede goals. Urging his teammates to remain confident, he added:

"It's like when we concede we're not allowed to concede. As if it's not a normal thing that's part of the game. Everyone in world football concedes a goal but because we hold ourselves to such high standards, when we concede we're so disappointed in ourselves, that's when you'll see more mistakes come."

"At the start of the season we conceded a few goals first but we just bounced back straight away. That can be down to confidence, many things, tired legs. But we need to get back to the way we want to be."

Rico Lewis is regarded as a key player for Manchester City for years to come. However, the 20-year-old has not been at his best this season and has made several errors.

Manchester City return to action on Boxing Day when they take on Everton and will be up against Leicester City on December 29. Pep Guardiola's side find themselves sixth in the Premier League table and 22nd in the UEFA Champions League table.

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Manchester City set their sights on two midfielders: Reports

Manchester City have reportedly identified Martin Zubimendi and Adam Wharton as their top targets for the January transfer window. As reported by Teamtalk, Pep Guardiola is set to be backed heavily by his employers and has identified the two players to bolster his midfield.

The Cityzens are going through a dismal run of form losing nine of their last 12 games across competitions, winning just once. Their season has completely derailed with Ballon d'Or winner Rodri suffering an ACL injury.

Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi is reportedly the Sky Blues' priority target who snubbed a move to Liverpool in the summer. Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton is another player Manchester City are reportedly interested in.