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Pep Guardiola has admitted he was not surprised by his side's 2-0 defeat at Southampton on Wednesday and has warned his players they cannot afford to relax in what may be seen as matches of lower importance.
City exited the Carabao Cup at the quarter-final stage thanks to their 2-0 defeat to the Saints - the Premier League's bottom side - while their two most recent Premier League games at the Etihad have been a defeat to Brentford and a draw against a struggling Everton.
Guardiola's reigning champions find themselves five points behind Arsenal - led by Mikel Arteta, his former assistant - and City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan admitted this week that the squad's "hunger is maybe not as it was".
City face a Manchester derby on Saturday and ahead of that trip to Old Trafford, Guardiola said: "What happened [against Southampton] didn't surprise me. We tried to avoid it. It happened, unfortunately, and hopefully it's not going to happen again.
"I was a little bit concerned at the beginning of the season it could happen, and it did happen. I don't know if it's going to happen again.
"Let's be ourselves and let's behave how we have to, every single game.
"After what happened at Southampton, the last thing I am worried about is the title. It's to recover who you are, game by game.