Gary Neville, according to pundit Chris Sutton, is incorrect in implying that Manchester City have gotten complacent despite their four-game winless streak.

Neville remarked after the club’s 3-3 tie with Tottenham that the champions had suffered defensive breakdowns in recent weeks and ‘gave up points’ to Spurs. Pep Guardiola responded to his remarks on Tuesday, pointing out that Neville had not won four Premier League titles in a row, an unparalleled record Manchester City is attempting this season.

That mission has hit a snag, with the squad going four games without a win after drawing with Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham before losing to Aston Villa on Wednesday. Guardiola claims he is to blame for City’s three points out of a possible twelve.

Although their wobble, 1995 title winner Sutton has dismissed Neville’s appraisal of City as exaggerated, although admitting a decrease in performance.

“Let us not dismiss Manchester City.” We don’t need your sensationalist journalism. “It’s absurd,” he said on the It’s All Kicking Off podcast.

“If he [Neville] is implying complacency at Manchester City, I’m not sure how he can judge that.” They are not, in my opinion, complacent. I believe their standards have fallen a little.”

Neville responded to Guardiola’s answer on the most recent Stick To Football edition. “I thought [Guardiola’s response] was that siege mentality – have a go at someone, he said something about the crowd last week,” remarked the former Manchester United captain.

“If you look back to this time last year – I’m not sure if it was the same time – [Manchester City] played Tottenham at home.” They were losing 2-0 and then winning 4-2, and he came out and yelled at everybody.

“It feels to me like he’s a little bit worried about Arsenal, the fact that he’s done that and he feels he needs to give everyone a kick up the backside.”

Meanwhile, with City only six points behind leaders Arsenal, Jurgen Klopp believes it would be foolish to write them out of the title chase. Following Liverpool’s win away at Sheffield United on Wednesday, Klopp said achieving such a mindset would be the “biggest joke in football history.”