Pep Guardiola admitted Manchester City will have to go out to achieve a best-case scenario Champions League play-off draw in February after their last defeat, a 2-0 loss to Juventus, damaged their chances of automatic progress to the last 16 almost destroyed.

City have now won once in 10 games and were soundly beaten in Turin despite dominating large parts of the game. Familiar weaknesses now appeared again on both sides, and when a loose free kick from Josko Gvardiol set up Dusan Vlahovic’s opening goal, the die was cast. They sit 22nd in the 36-team table. A visit to Paris Saint-Germain and a home game against Club Brugge round off their schedule. A fall of three further places would see them eliminated, despite being five points behind the top eight.

That means a spot between ninth and 24th, securing a second bite of the cherry but requiring two additional games in a busy calendar, will likely have to do. “It’s the goal,” said Guardiola. “We need a point, three points. Go to Paris to try and the last game at home.”

Guardiola was typically defensive in his team’s performance. Erling Haaland missed their best chance in the 39th minute and they were knocking on the door before Weston McKennie put the game out of reach. “We played well, really, really well,” he said. “We missed the last pass, the last action when we arrived and we conceded chances on a few transitions. It happens, but I’m so proud of these players.”

Asked if he was questioning himself amid a crisis unprecedented during his time in office, he replied: “Of course I question myself. I am stable in good and bad moments. I’m trying to find a way to do it. I’m incredibly honest: when we play well, we play well. The game will always save us.”

After the game, Ilkay Gündogan said City had little self-confidence, suggesting a “mental problem” in their loss of rhythm. “We always do the wrong things in the crucial moments at the moment,” Gündogan continued, but his manager was more optimistic.

“I don’t agree with Ilkay,” Guardiola said. “Of course it’s hard. Apart from one or two games during that time that weren’t good, we played well the rest of the time.”