Rico Lewis has downplayed Manchester City’s four-game winless streak, saying that the side has the experience to get back on track.

Rico Lewis kicked off Wednesday’s loss to Aston Villa.

The setback to Aston Villa on Wednesday came following draws with Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham, leaving the champions six points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal after 15 games. Lewis believes the side has faced tougher struggles in the past and is confident that manager Pep Guardiola would not allow the present slump to continue.

The manager accepts responsibility for the drop in form despite stating earlier in the week that City would win a fourth consecutive title. Guardiola defended his team following Tuesday’s draw with Tottenham and reacted to Gary Neville’s criticism that the Treble winners had become complacent.

Lewis has now attempted to defuse any more controversy over City’s relegation by assuring fans that the team has recovered from worse situations in the past and that the players are trying to focus on ‘what we can control’ to get back on track. “The players in that dressing room are world-class and they know how to get out of these things,” Lewis told the club’s press conference.

“They’ve been through tough times before, even tougher than this.” They’ll know how to get out of these situations better than I do.

“I’m sure the manager and the players will not let this carry on in the near future and we’ll focus on what we can control, which is the next game against Luton.”

In Wednesday’s loss at Aston Villa, City managed only two shots on goal, while the hosts managed 22 despite having less control. “Obviously (it was) a very difficult game against a really good team – they were much better than us and deserved the win,” he said.

“We weren’t excellent enough in every way. They outperformed us. They deserve credit. It happens in certain games, but not very often; it’s uncommon to lose in this manner. We’ll work into that, and we need to get it right in the near future.”

Following Sunday’s travel to Luton, City will play Red Star Belgrade in the last Champions League group stage match before hosting Crystal Palace the following Saturday at the Etihad.

The squad will next travel to Saudi Arabia for the Club World Cup, with the semi-finals taking place on December 19 and a probable final on December 22. Matches against Everton and Sheffield United round out a historic year for the club in 2023.