Pep Guardiola ordered Man City stars to 'go home' ahead of Aston Villa showdown

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has ordered his players to clear their minds after their shocking collapse in the derby against Manchester United.

The champions were stunned after a 2-1 defeat at the Etihad last weekend, meaning they have just one win in their last 11 games in all competitions.

Worried about the impact of this poor run on his team's morale, Guardiola sent them home with instructions to disconnect from football completely.

Speaking ahead of their match at Aston Villa tomorrow, Guardiola said: “I thought it was better than seeing each other. I told them to go home, be with your families. Forget football. We have three days to prepare Villa.

“Sometimes it's good, it's not about training. Now it's all in our minds, in our heads. How to deal with it is the secret. It's all in our minds.”

To add to Guardiola's woes, star defender Ruben Dias will be out for up to a month due to injury.

Guardiola revealed the centre-back could have aggravated the injury after refusing to leave the pitch despite feeling muscle strain during the second half of the derby.

Guardiola, who could also be without goalkeeper Ederson, revealed: “It's a muscular problem and he (Dias) will be out for three to four weeks.

“It happened after 75 minutes against (Manchester) United. He felt something, but he is so strong that he wanted to stay on the pitch – and now he is injured.

“Manu and John have returned to training in the last few days, so that's good for us. I don't know yet (if they will be available). Thursday was their first real training session after a while. 'absence. We will see.

Guardiola admits the team desperately need a victory to boost their morale, but insists the group is not sulking.

“I said that to survive, try to get results and our mood will improve, our game will be better. Accepting the situation, that's what I want to convey to the team.

“Don't think about big goals. We are in this situation and we have to accept it. We are not at our best and we don't feel good, but we will be better.”