Pep Guardiola accepts it is down to him to deliver the “punch in the face” that can reignite Manchester City’s season.
The treble winners have faltered in recent weeks after successive Premier League draws at the hands of Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham were followed by defeat at Aston Villa on Wednesday.
City will hope to get back to winning ways as they travel to Luton on Sunday.
Manager Guardiola said: “I’m able. I put a lot of stress on myself. I will help the team. I don’t know how, but I will help the team to come back.
“Will it be enough? I don’t know. The contenders are so strong but that’s why I have to be ready and I have to have the feeling.
“I never found a football player who, when they go out on the pitch, doesn’t want to do well, doesn’t want to run, doesn’t want to fight or doesn’t want to be positive for the team or for success.
“But sometimes after winning you want to try to do it, but you don’t do it. For what? Because you won a lot and you need a punch in your face. You need it now.
“That will be to overcome the situation. I don’t know how we’ll react but that is a challenge, to see if the team can do it.
“I’m the boss. I have to help them. They need me and I have to be there – the right words, the right training, the right message, the right selection, the right way to play.”
Guardiola used a culinary reference to explain how City’s current run can be used to spice up his side’s campaign and how they should savour victory if they triumph at Kenilworth Road.
“When you win a lot it is another macaroni pasta to eat,” the Spaniard said. “The last six months just macaroni, macaroni.
“You have to realise it’s difficult. When you realise at Luton, if you win, wow. That is what it is to be in a good way and you give credit to that.
“It’s not just when you win the semi-finals of the Champions League you say how good we are.
“Give credit every game, have the satisfaction we have done it. We had that and we have to recover it.”
Haiti secure League A promotion, Gold Cup spot with 8-0 win over Sint Marteen; Grenada, Curacao, Puerto Rico also victorious in League B
Haiti extended their unbeaten run in the Concacaf Nations League as they secured top spot in Group C of League B when they hammered Sint Marteen 8-0 Friday.
That win earned Haiti promotion to League A and, by extension, secured their participation in next year’s Concacaf Gold Cup.
Meanwhile, the race in Group B took a twist as Grenada defeated leaders Saint Lucia, while Curacao earned a victory to jump into the number one spot.
Saint Lucia vs. Grenada
Grenada knocked Saint Lucia out of the top spot in Group B with a 4-0 victory at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad, Curacao.
After playing out a goalless first half, Grenada eventually broke the deadlock in the 50th through Jermaine Francis’ header.
Regan Charles-Cook doubled the lead six minutes later with a firm finish from deep inside the 18-yard box.
Trevon Williams added a third in the 74th, before Myles Hippolyte struck a blazing left-footed shot from the edge of the box in the 86th to cap Grenada’s win.
With the victory, Grenada moved to seven points and assured itself at least a third-place finish to avoid relegation. Saint Lucia dropped to second place on nine points, one point behind Curacao, on 10 points.
Saint Martin vs. Curaçao
Curacao registered a 5-0 rout of Saint Martin in the feature game at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad.
Jearl Margaritha stole the show by scoring four goals, two in each half, in commanding fashion.
His first came in the 24th as he used good footwork to lose defenders and blast the opener.
He added a second 10 minutes later, when he pulled off an excellent backheel flick to put Curacao 2-0 up at the break.
In the 54th, Margaritha sprinted into the box and ripped a loose ball for his hat trick.
Juninho Bacuna scored a penalty kick in the 78th, before Margaritha finished off his outstanding performance with another tidy finish in the 80th.
With one point separating them, Curacao and Saint Lucia will lock horns in an intriguing clash to determine the group winners on Monday.
Sint Maarten vs. Haiti
A hat-trick from Frantzdy Pierrot and a Duckens Nazon brace laid the platform for Haiti’s 8-0 beating of Sint Maarten at Estadio Centroamericano de Mayagüez in Mayagüez in Puerto Rico.
It was Attys Christopher who fired home as Haiti made the most of a corner kick.
Pierrot struck a double blow in the 14th and 25th, with Markhus Lacroix adding a fourth in between in the 19th.
The onslaught continued in the second half as Haiti tallied three more goals in rapid fashion. Nazon struck in the 49th and 58th as Pierrot completed his hat trick in the 52nd.
Mondy Prunier capped the win with a 67th-minute strike.
Haiti, has now scored 26 goals in five matches. They will play second-placed Puerto Rico, who defeated Aruba 5-1 on Monday.
Puerto Rico remains in the hunt for a Gold Cup preliminary spot as one of the best runners-up.
Sint Maarten has been relegated.
Kane club versus country comments 'just a reminder' to England withdrawals
Harry Kane says his comments on club versus country got more attention than he expected and were "just a reminder" to his team-mates instead of a criticism.
England suffered nine injury withdrawals after Lee Carsley's squad was announced, with Kane seemingly questioning the commitment of those who dropped out, saying "England comes before everything".
Despite their many absences, a young England side recorded a 3-0 win over Greece on Thursday to send them top of their Nations League group.
However, the Three Lions have since seen a 10th withdrawal from the squad, with Ezri Konsa returning to Aston Villa after going off with a hip complaint in that game.
Speaking for the first time since that interview, Kane explained he was keen to preserve the team culture Gareth Southgate fostered by using these international breaks effectively.
"All the players try and give their best whenever they come with England. I know it's a really tough stage of the season," he said in a press conference.
"Whoever is in the squad is the most important thing. Whatever we have here is all we can work with.
"Going forward there are always going to be injuries, it is just whoever is with the squad is ready to make a difference."
On the attention his comments got, Kane added: "I didn't expect it to get as much coverage as it did. The November camp has always been difficult - you're in the heart of a lot of games.
"So, it's just my opinion that it is really important after a major championship, where September, October, November camps are really important in a year ahead to the World Cup.
"These are the camps as well where you build that culture and that togetherness that lead you into a World Cup. It was just a reminder that it's really, really special to play for England."
Kane started the match against Greece on the bench, with Ollie Watkins leading the line in his place. The Villa forward scored seven minutes in, before being replaced by the England captain in the 66th minute.
Interim boss Carsley, who is taking charge of his final game before Thomas Tuchel takes over on January 1, confirmed that Kane would be back in the starting line-up against the Republic of Ireland on Sunday.
"Yes, he is definitely playing," Carsley said.
"With Harry Kane, you always think goals, but he brings a lot more to the squad and the team than that. His leadership skills, he's a good guy, which is really important as well.
"The example he sets to the younger players, he's a crucial part of the England team and also moving forward."
England and Greece are both level on 12 points after five games, but the former have a better head-to-head goal difference, so a win over Ireland would see them promoted back to League A.
Guyana secures 4-1 victory over Barbados in first leg of Concacaf Nations League Play-In Series
Guyana defeated Barbados 4-1 in the first leg of their Concacaf Nations League Play-In series at the Barbados Football Association Technical Centre in Bridgetown, Barbados on Friday
The Concacaf Nations League Play-In consists of a home-and-away direct elimination round. The aggregate score winner in each matchup will advance to the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup Prelims.
Niall Reid-Stephen opened the scoring for Barbados in the 17th minute, his seventh goal of the current campaign, with a left-footed strike from inside the penalty arc.
Omari Glasgow equalized for Guyana nine minutes later with a left-footed strike inside the penalty area.
Then, 14 minutes into Glasgow added a second to his tally in the by pouncing on a deflected ball in the penalty area.
Osaze de Rosario extended the lead in a minute later with a chip over the goalkeeper to capitalize on an error from the defense.
Enoch George scored in the 90'+2 to put a bow on the victory, connecting on a timely pass from Isaiah Jones.
Guyana will host Barbados in the second leg on Tuesday at the National Track and Field Centre in Leonora, Guyana.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
