Pep Guardiola has shouldered the blame for Manchester City’s lack of goals and said it is up to him to find a solution to make them prolific again.
But the Spaniard said that, despite his worst start to a season as a manager, he remains optimistic that City will enjoy a fine campaign.
City have only scored 10 goals in their opening eight Premier League matches, 17 fewer than they managed in the equivalent period last year, and their lowest tally at this stage of a campaign since 2006-07.
But while injuries have played a part, with Gabriel Jesus missing five matches and Sergio Aguero limited to 111 minutes so far, Guardiola took responsibility and said he has to tinker with his blueprint to get City scoring again.
“The reason why is the manager,” he said. “I have to find a way to use their qualities and adapt. The same players can make different movements in different seasons. They can be in better form or not.
"I have to adjust something, to let them feel we can create more. It’s in my hands to help them.”
City scored 303 goals in the last three league campaigns and Guardiola is confident they still have the ability to eviscerate opponents.
“We know are a team who last season scored a lot but now we are struggling,” he said. “But we have to find solutions. We have the players to find the right way to attack more fluently and I have the feeling we can score goals.
"Sometimes we need clear chances to score. But the moment we break one or two of these kind of things we will get better.”
City have been more potent in Europe, scoring three times in each of their three Champions League fixtures. They face Olympiakos on Wednesday with Guardiola facing a decision over Aguero. City’s record goalscorer was an unused substitute in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham and is yet to feature after recovering from a knee injury.
“We wait for him and take it one step at a time,” said Guardiola. “We have many, many games to play this season and we’ll need him. What we want is him to recover in his best condition.”
In Aguero’s absence, Ferran Torres has scored in all three European games. Signed as a winger, the Spaniard has shown he can score in a central role. “A striker is not my natural position but I am comfortable playing there,” he said.
Victory in Greece tonight would mean City book their place in the last 16 with two games to spare, giving Guardiola more of a chance to rotate in a demanding December. “We need one more game to be there mathematically, so that is great,” he said.
City’s slow start has not dented Guardiola’s conviction they will excel this year. “I have a feeling we will do really well this season,” he said.
“I don’t know why but I’ve felt it from the beginning. I expect a reaction after last season when we finished against Lyon in Portugal. The season is still young and I’m fully optimistic we are going to do a good season.”
Fixture congestion is a particular problem for English clubs but Guardiola remained positive that City can achieve. “No-one before could win a domestic treble or four titles in one season, so if your mind is in the right position in the right way, you can do it,” he said.
Guardiola signed a two-year contract extension last week, giving him further chances to secure the Champions League win that has eluded him with City so far, but he insisted he is not fixated on that. “It's not an obsession,” he added.
