Manchester City defender addresses recent setbacks amid continued rise in cross-competition form

Nathan Ake has shone some attention on Manchester City’s faltering performances earlier this season as Pep Guardiola’s squad puts together a strong run of form.

Between mid-November and early December, Manchester City went on a run of four Premier League matches without a win, made up of three draws to Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham, as well as a defeat to Aston Villa.

The end of September and early October also saw a period of one win in three games, as Manchester City struggled in the absence of Rodri through suspension, subsequently losing to Newcastle United, Wolves, and Arsenal.

However, following success at the FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia, Manchester City have shown signs of a strong winning run and have been further boosted by the returns of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland following respective injuries.

While Manchester City had clear aims to start their season strong, and felt as though they did that, results began to fade as the club headed towards the December fixture schedule. Speaking to the official club website, Nathan Ake has now addressed their new-found rise.

“We wanted to start the season strong and we felt like we did that,” Ake explained. “We obviously had a few setbacks which is normal over the course of a season, but winning the Club World Cup in December gave us a big boost and since then we have been able to hit some good form.”

The versatile defender continued, “That form is something we want to continue in the next few weeks and months in every competition. We have the experience of fighting for titles in the final few months of the season and we want to do it again.”

Nathan Ake was responsible for Manchester City’s first-ever goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last month, as Pep Guardiola’s side overcame an FA Cup fourth round tie against Ange Postecoglou’s side with a 0-1 win.

Their prize was a fifth round tie against Luton Town at Kenilworth Road scheduled for later this month, while their trip south is accompanied by Premier League clashes and a Champions League last-16 first-leg against FC Copenhagen.