Manchester City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, stated on Tuesday that his team is not in a "dark place" and that they played well despite losing 4-1 to Sporting in the Champions League.

When asked about Bernardo Silva’s recent comments describing City as being in a “dark place,” Guardiola firmly disagreed. “I don’t agree; we’re not in a dark place. We played well,” he responded.

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach pointed out that City was close to scoring a second and third goal against Sporting, led by manager Rúben Amorim.

“I want to believe in my players,” Guardiola noted, adding that “life is like that.”

“The team played well despite the loss, with some exceptional performances from certain players,” he emphasized.

Sporting Portugal, with a hat-trick from Swedish forward Viktor Gyokeres, defeated Manchester City 4-1 on Tuesday in the Champions League’s fourth round, marking Amorim’s last game at Lisbon's Alvalade stadium before his move to Manchester United.

Following the match, City dropped from third to sixth in the Champions League standings, while Sporting climbed to second, trailing Liverpool.

Despite the setback, Guardiola emphasized that they are still "alive" in the competition.