Manchester City showing they are fighters, says Sagna

Manchester City defender Bacary Sagna insists his side’s fighting spirit will see them hit top gear once again in the Premier League title race, with leaders Chelsea not out of touch just yet.

With four victories from their last five league games, including a come-from-behind win over Arsenal, to say City are in a slump would of course be harsh.

But Pep Guardiola’s side have suffered big blows to their confidence with losses to Liverpool, Leicester City and Chelsea since the start of December, and have certainly lost the air of invincibility they possessed at the beginning of the campaign.

The Citizens were unconvincing again in a 2-1 win over Burnley on Monday – although not helped by the sending off of Fernandinho for the third time in six games – but Sagna is adamant they showed the fighting qualities required to get them back on track.

“It’s way too early to talk about the title,” said the 33-year-old right-back. “We are focusing on the next game.

“Of course, it will be hard to catch Chelsea but we need to stay professional, keep these kinds of performances and we will see.

“I think we were fighters and it was vital if we wanted to take the three points and we managed to do it.

“We had the fans pushing behind us. We always want more [from the fans]. As much as they need us to perform, we need them to support us.

“Believe me, it makes a massive difference when you hear the fans and they put pressure on the other team. It makes their life difficult.”