Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan was left feeling frustrated after their loss to Brentford on Saturday.
City ended the Premier League’s pre-World Cup games on the worst possible note, going five points behind Arsenal in the league table.
Gundogan admits the break will give everyone at the club a chance to reflect on the rest of the season, while outlining his frustrations with the most recent result.
“We conceded a goal in the first 20 minutes which we knew was exactly what they wanted,” the City captain said to the Manchester Evening News.
“Sometimes it is difficult to have an explanation. I don’t know, there is no excuse.
“Of course, it is disappointing and frustrating for me. I couldn’t sort out my feet quick enough [for the missed chance] and maybe I should have taken a touch.
“In general, I kind of disagree that we had chances in the second half. It felt like we crossed a lot of balls in areas where Erling [Haaland] was, but he was always against three men.
“I felt like especially getting the ball in between the lines of their defence because their back four or five was quite deep, I felt like there was no space between the midfield and the back five.”