Erling Haaland names who is to blame for Man City's woes after Aston Villa defeat

Erling Haaland has taken full responsibility for Manchester City's recent poor form, urging fans to blame him. The Norwegian striker had another disappointing day as City suffered their ninth defeat in their last 12 matches in all competitions.

Haaland said: “I haven't been good enough and I haven't been up to par for City this season. I need to step up and work harder. I just need to improve. It's simply not enough. I will do everything I can to do better.

“In decisive moments I can't score – in decisive moments we concede goals. The margins are small and that's how it is. I will do everything I can to turn the tide.

Haaland admitted their poor form, which saw City win just one of their last 12 games, was taking a toll on the team.

He admitted: “We know how important trust is and you can see it affects every human being. Confidence levels are not the best.

“But we have to keep going, we have to believe and we have to keep working hard.”

But Haaland expects Pep Guardiola to understand: “He won the Premier League six times in seven years, so we will never forget that.

“He will find the solutions. He does this every year. We still believe in him.

Guardiola said following the Villa Park defeat: “We have to think positively and I have incredible confidence in the guys. Some of them have incredible pride and desire to do it. We must find a way, step by step, sooner or later, to find a way back.

“The solution is to bring the players back. We only have one central defender, it's difficult.

“And there are many other reasons. We concede the goals that we have not conceded in the past, we [don’t] score the goals we scored in the past. Football is not just one reason. There are a lot of little factors.