Manchester City need to show more mental fortitude after losing their last two Premier League matches, the club's winger Jeremy Doku suggested on Tuesday at the start of preparations for Belgium’s two World Cup qualifiers this week.
"Things aren't going very well," the Belgian international admitted when asked about City’s fortunes at a press conference ahead of Belgium’s game at Liechtenstein on Thursday.
Manchester City have three points from their opening three games of the new Premier League campaign.
After defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers in their opening match, they were beaten by Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion in their next two fixtures.
"After the first match, everyone felt good, but after that, things got more difficult. I think we're letting our heads drop a bit too much when we concede a goal. Mentally, we need to be stronger," Doku told reporters.
It could be that Manchester City did not have a decent break, having competed at the Club World Cup in the United States in June.
"I only started training again on 28 July. We barely had any pre-season. The last time I had six weeks of pre-season was at Anderlecht. That was five years ago.
"But we're not the only ones in this situation; it applies to many other clubs."
The Belgian winger was dropped from the starting line up after playing against Wolves on 16 August.
"Personally, I haven't started the season very well. I'm not in my best form yet. You haven't seen Jeremy at his best yet, but he'll come soon. That's why it's important to be here with the Red Devils and gain some confidence," he said of the World Cup assignments, which also include a home game against Kazakhstan on Sunday.
In the Belgium squad, Doku is reunited with former clubmate Kevin De Bruyne, who left City at the end of the last campaign and has since signed for Napoli.
"It was a bit strange because I used to see him every day. It took some getting used to when he was gone.
“But it's always good to play and train with Kevin. And soon we'll see each other as opponents in the Champions League, of course. May the best man win then!" he quipped.