Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says maybe another team deserves to win the Premier League after their sustained period of success.
The Blues have won six of the past seven Premier League titles, including four in a row, but have fallen five points behind leaders Liverpool following a 2-1 defeat by Brighton.
Guardiola has now lost four successive matches (excluding shootouts) for the first time in his 17-year managerial career, and this is City’s first four-game losing run for 18 years, since Stuart Pearce was manager.
In recent weeks, they have lost to Bournemouth and Brighton in the league, Tottenham in the Carabao Cup, and Sporting in the Champions League.
“We have to try and win games again,” Guardiola told BBC Match of the Day. “Four [defeats] in a row. We have to change things quick.
“The schedule becomes tough but it [winning games] is going to happen when the players come back.”
He added: “Maybe after seven years winning six Premier Leagues, maybe one year another team deserve it.”
City continue to be ravaged by injuries with Ruben Dias, John Stones, Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish – despite his England call-up – all missing, alongside long-term absentees Rodri and Oscar Bobb.
Centre-backs Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji were only fit enough for the bench, meaning Guardiola handed a first Premier League start to 19-year-old Jahmai Simpson-Pusey in defence.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “This is sport. Sport is not always sunrises. It is not always good moments.
“Today in the press conference I was asked if it was the end of the era. I know people want that. I smell it for many, many years.
“What we have done in these years, people have said it’s so difficult, but if somebody would like to beat us it is going to happen because in the next 50 years we’re not going to win all the Premier Leagues. It’s impossible.”
Guardiola previously lost three back-to-back games with Bayern Munich, before losing a fourth in a shootout, in the 2014-15 season.
His worse run as City boss had been three successive defeats.
Asked about the current run, Guardiola told Sky Sports: “Two in the Premier League. You have to count the victories and defeats, and we will win a lot.
“If you have to count how many victories in a row, we are far away from that position.”
It is “not nice” to lose two league games in a row, but City are “not far away” from the top of the table, in second place going into the international break, he said.
On Saturday, City took a first-half lead at Brighton through Erling Haaland’s 12th Premier League goal of the season.
The Blues dominated for much of the first half, having 67% possession and five shots on target to Brighton’s zero.
But that flipped after the break to just one on target, to Brighton’s four. City looked lethargic for large periods of the second half as Brighton substitutes Joao Pedro and Matt O’Riley scored to earn the win.
It was the first time City had lost a Premier League game having led at half-time since 2021.
“We are not able to do 90 minutes right now,” Guardiola said.
“We played a really good first half, but we were not able to sustain the rhythm in the second half.
“We lost again so [we will] clear our heads [in the] international break and hopefully our players come back fit.”
In his news conference, Guardiola added: “When the players come back, I don’t have any doubt that we will be back to our best.”
City’s run is tough after the break, with games against Tottenham, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Aston Villa before Christmas.