LONDON • Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admitted that he is struggling to understand why his team score so many goals and limit the opposition to so few chances, but have still lost nine Premier League matches this season.
City, who relinquished the league title to Liverpool with seven games left, lost 1-0 at Southampton on Sunday despite dominating possession (73 per cent) and peppering the Saints goal with 26 shots.
Striker Che Adams sealed victory for 13th-placed Southampton and condemned City - who beat Liverpool 4-0 in their last game - to a third successive away league loss.
Champions Liverpool have lost only twice in the league all season.
"We're leading in goals (City have scored 81 this term to the Reds' 72). We create a lot of chances," said Guardiola, who lost a third straight away league game for the first time in his managerial career.
"We're a team who concede less - no team conceded as few chances as us but we lost a lot of games.
"It's difficult even for me to find a reason why."
But the Spaniard backed City to return to winning ways at home against Newcastle tomorrow.
"I have confidence we can do it because we are the same guys and we did it in previous seasons," he added. "This season the way we are playing is quite similar but it is not enough to win the games."
Looking further ahead, he warned his men that they cannot lose games in the manner they did at Southampton if they are to take the league title back from Liverpool next season.
"We played really well, but we make one mistake, they punish us," said Guardiola.
"We lost a lot of games and losing a lot of games you cannot compete to win Premier Leagues.
"We need to improve because it happened many times this season."
The City boss, though, insisted that his plan to get back on top does not involve a summer spending spree on new players.
"No, I don't think so," added the 49-year-old, when asked if new signings were the key to a change in fortunes. "I think we played good. When you review the games and the chances we created you cannot do more. I like the way we played."
Guardiola had made six changes from the rout over Liverpool, with Kevin de Bruyne among those dropping to the bench.
Even without the brilliant Belgian, City still created enough chances to win comfortably but were denied only by some inspired goalkeeping by Alex McCarthy and wayward finishing.
Gabriel Jesus has failed to take his chances in the absence of the injured Sergio Aguero in recent weeks and blazed over from Joao Cancelo's cross, before Fernandinho struck the post and McCarthy made the first of a string of saves from David Silva's powerful header.
City continued to dominate after the break, as McCarthy spread himself brilliantly to save from Silva before Bernardo Silva's goal-bound effort was deflected wide.
De Bruyne and the in-form Phil Foden were introduced on the hour mark, but still the hosts' defence held firm to keep City goal-less for just the fourth time this season.
"When you want to take something against such an opponent you have to run more, sprint more, fight more, be brave and also have a little bit of luck," said Southampton coach Ralph Hasenhuttl.
REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
