MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Pep Guardiola declared himself “not good enough” after Manchester City's season sunk to a new low after a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.
The four-time defending Premier League champion has lost eight of its last 11 games in all competitions - winning just once in that run.
City is fifth in the standings and nine points behind leader Liverpool, having played a game more.
“I’m the boss, I’m the manager and I’m not good enough. It’s as simple as that,” Guardiola said after the latest loss. “I’m not doing well. That is the truth.”
Guardiola has led City to unprecedented success, winning an unprecedented four Premier League titles in a row and six in the last seven seasons. He has won 15 major trophies at the club, including the Champions League.
But he is experiencing the worst run of form in his coaching career, which has seen him win 33 major trophies at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City.
Guardiola signed a two-year contract extension last month, but that has not sparked an upturn in his team's form.
City led 1-0 going into the 88th minute against United, but then conceded late goals to Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo — prompting boos from fans after the final whistle.
“I knew that it would be a tough season from the beginning. I said (that) many times, even when we were winning, but I didn’t expect it was so hard like it was right now,” Guardiola said.
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Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
AJACCIO, Corsica (AP) — Pope Francis on the first papal visit ever to the French island of Corsica on Sunday called for a dynamic form of laicism, promoting the kind of popular piety that distinguishes the Mediterranean island from secular France as a bridge between religious and civic society.
Francis appeared relaxed and energized during the one-day visit, just two days before his 88th birthday, still displaying a faded bruise from a fall a week ago.
He frequently deviated from his prepared homily during Mass at the outdoor La Place d’Austerlitz, remarking at one point that he had never seen so many children as in Corsica — except, he added, in East Timor on his recent Asian tour.
“Make children,″ he implored. ”They will be your joy and your consolation in the future.”
Earlier, at the close of a Mediterranean conference on popular piety, Papa Francescu, as he is called in Corsican, described a concept of secularity “that is not static and fixed, but evolving and dynamic,” that can adapt to “unforeseen situations” and promote cooperation “between civil and ecclesial authorities.”
The pontiff said that expressions of popular piety, including processions and communal prayer of the Holy Rosary “can nurture constructive citizenship" on the part of Christians. At the same time, he warned against such manifestations being seen only in terms of folklore, or even superstition.
The visit to Corsica’s capital Ajaccio, the birthplace of Napoleon, is one of the briefest of his papacy beyond Italy’s borders, just about nine hours on the ground, including a 40-minute visit with French President Emmanuel Macron. Francis met privately with Macron at the airport before flying back to Rome.
Francis was joined on the dais by the bishop of Ajaccio, Cardinal Francois-Xavier Bustillo, who organized the conference that brought together some 400 participants from Spain, Sicily, Sardinia and southern France. The two-day meeting examined expressions of faith that often occur outside formal liturgies, such as processions and pilgrimages.
Often specific to the places where they are practiced, popular piety in Corsica includes the cult of the Virgin Mary, known locally as the "Madunnuccia," which protected the island from the plague in 1656 when it was still under Genoa.
Corsica stands out from the rest of secularized France as a particularly devout region, with 92 confraternities, or lay associations dedicated to works of charity or piety, with over 4,000 members.
“It means that there is a beautiful, mature, adult and responsible collaboration between civil authorities, mayors, deputies, senators, officials and religious authorities,’’ Bustillo told The Associated Press ahead of the visit. “There is no hostility between the two. And that is a very positive aspect because in Corsica there is no ideological hostility.”
The visit was awash in signs of popular piety. The pope was greeted by children in traditional garb and was continually serenaded by bands, choruses and singing troupes that are central to Corsican culture from the airport, to the motorcade route, convention center and cathedral. Thousands stood along the roadside to greet the pontiff and more waved from windows.
Renè Colombani traveled with 2,000 others by ship from northern Corsica to Ajaccio, on the western coast, to see the pope.
“It is an event that we will not see again in several years. It may be the only time that the pope will come to Corsica. And since we wanted to be a part of it, we have come a long way″ Colombani said.
The island, which Genoa ceded to France in 1768, is located closer to the Italian mainland than France.
From the conference, the pope traveled to the 17th-century cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta to meet with clergy, stopping along the way at the statue of the Madunnuccia where he lit a devotional candle.
The pope celebrated Mass beneath a looming statue of Napoleon Bonaparte, the French emperor whose armies in 1808 annexed the papal states and imprisoned two of Francis’ predecessors — Popes Pius VI and VII — before being excommunicated and eventually defeated on the battlefield. Thousands packed the esplanade where Napoleon is said to have played as a child.
Francis met with Macron at the airport before departing for the 50-minute flight back to Rome.
They discussed Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Middle East and security issues in Africa's Sahel and Great Lakes regions, Haiti and Sudan, Macron's office said in a statement. Macron welcomed the pope's “calls for peace, non-violence and respect for human rights,” the statement said.
Both Macron and Francis expressed their “deep concern” regarding the situation in Gaza and called for “an immediate and lasting ceasefire” and “the massive delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid,” according to Macron's office. On Syria, they reiterated their wish to see a “fair and inclusive political transition,” the statement said.
Macron presented the pope with two books about Notre Dame Cathedral.
The pontiff pointedly did not make the trip to Paris earlier this month for the pomp surrounding the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral following the devastating 2019 fire. The visit to Corsica seems far more suited to Francis’ priorities than a grand cathedral reopening, emphasizing the “church of the peripheries.”
It was Francis’ third trip to France, each time avoiding Paris and the protocols that a state visit entails. He visited the port of Marseille in 2023, on an overnight visit to participate in an annual summit of Mediterranean bishops, and went to Strasbourg in 2014 to address the European Parliament and Council of Europe.
Corsica is home to more than 340,000 people and has been part of France since 1768. But the island has also seen pro-independence violence and has an influential nationalist movement. Last year, Macron proposed granting it limited autonomy.
Given the short flight back to Rome, Francis didn’t hold an airborne press conference en route home, the first time he has skipped the traditional briefing in 47 foreign trips as pope. Francis did come to the back of the plane though to greet reporters and receive a pretend birthday cake.
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Associated Press writers Colleen Barry in Milan and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Pope Francis talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Ajaccio at the end of his one-day visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec.15, 2024. (Tiziana Fabi, Pool Via AP)
Pope Francis shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron in Ajaccio at the end of his one-day visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Tiziana Fabi, Pool Via AP)
Pope Francis shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron in Ajaccio at the end of his one-day visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Tiziana Fabi, Pool Via AP)
Pope Francis delivers the Angelus prayer inside the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption of Ajaccio on the occasion of his one-day visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Pope Francis delivers the Angelus prayer inside the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption of Ajaccio on the occasion of his one-day visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
A child stands behind a banner reading, Welcome Pope Francis, in Ajaccio on the occasion of the Pontiff visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Faithful gather Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Ajaccio, Corsica island, as Pope Francis' one-day visit to Corsica puts a dual focus on the Mediterranean, highlighting local traditions of popular piety on the one hand and migrant deaths and wars on the other. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Members of a catholic local brotherhood arrive for a mass Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Ajaccio, Corsica island, as Pope Francis' one-day visit to Corsica puts a dual focus on the Mediterranean, highlighting local traditions of popular piety on the one hand and migrant deaths and wars on the other. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
The public wait before a mass Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Ajaccio, Corsica island, as Pope Francis' one-day visit to Corsica puts a dual focus on the Mediterranean, highlighting local traditions of popular piety on the one hand and migrant deaths and wars on the other. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Members of catholic local brotherhoods arrive for a mass Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Ajaccio, Corsica island, as Pope Francis' one-day visit to Corsica puts a dual focus on the Mediterranean, highlighting local traditions of popular piety on the one hand and migrant deaths and wars on the other. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Priests wait for the start of a mass celebrated by Pope Francis in Ajaccio "Place d'Austerlitz" during his visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Pope Francis arrives for a mass Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Ajaccio, Corsica island, as his one-day visit to Corsica puts a dual focus on the Mediterranean, highlighting local traditions of popular piety on the one hand and migrant deaths and wars on the other. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Faithful wait for the start of a mass celebrated by Pope Francis in Ajaccio "Place d'Austerlitz" during his visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Pope Francis sits during a mass Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Ajaccio, Corsica island, as his one-day visit to Corsica puts a dual focus on the Mediterranean, highlighting local traditions of popular piety on the one hand and migrant deaths and wars on the other. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Pope Francis presides over a mass in Ajaccio "Place d'Austerlitz" during his visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Pope Francis celebrates a mass Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Ajaccio, Corsica island, as his one-day visit to Corsica puts a dual focus on the Mediterranean, highlighting local traditions of popular piety on the one hand and migrant deaths and wars on the other. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Pope Francis celebrates a mass Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Ajaccio, Corsica island, on the first papal visit ever to the French island of Corsica and called for a dynamic form of laicism, promoting the kind of popular piety that distinguishes the Mediterranean island from secular France as a bridge between religious and civic society. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, second from right, attends a mass presided by Pope Francis in Ajaccio "Place d'Austerlitz" during his visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
The statue of Napoleon towers Ajaccio "Place d'Austerlitz" as Pope Francis presides over a mass in during his visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. The writing on top of the altar reads: Peace. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
The statue of Napoleon towers Ajaccio "Place d'Austerlitz" as Pope Francis presides over a mass during his visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. The writing on top of the altar reads: Peace. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Pope Francis presides over a mass in Ajaccio "Place d'Austerlitz" during his visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Pope Francis stands as he celebrates a mass Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Ajaccio on the first papal visit ever to the French island of Corsica . (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Faithful wait for the arrival of Pope Francis in Ajaccio on the occasion of his one-day visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Pope Francis greets faithful after praying in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary in Ajaccio on the occasion of his one-day visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Pope Francis blows a candle as he prays in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary in Ajaccio on the occasion of his one-day visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Pope Francis greets faithful after praying in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary in Ajaccio on the occasion of his one-day visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Pope Francis gestures near the Notre Dame of the Assumption cathedral Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Ajaccio, Corsica island. Pope Francis' one-day visit to the French island of Corsica puts a dual focus on the Mediterranean, highlighting local traditions of popular piety on the one hand and migrant deaths and wars on the other. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Pope Francis greets faithful as he arrives outside the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption of Ajaccio on the occasion of his one-day visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Faithful wait for the arrival of Pope Francis outside the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption of Ajaccio on the occasion of his one-day visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Faithful greet Pope Francis arriving outside the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption of Ajaccio on the occasion of his one-day visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Faithful wave for Pope Francis Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Ajaccio, Corsica island. Pope Francis' one-day visit to the French island of Corsica puts a dual focus on the Mediterranean, highlighting local traditions of popular piety on the one hand and migrant deaths and wars on the other. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Pope Francis gestures near the Notre Dame of the Assumption cathedral Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Ajaccio, Corsica island. Pope Francis' one-day visit to the French island of Corsica puts a dual focus on the Mediterranean, highlighting local traditions of popular piety on the one hand and migrant deaths and wars on the other. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Faithful wait for the arrival of Pope Francis at the Baptistery of St. Jean in Ajaccio during the Pontiff one-day visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Pope Francis arrives at Ajaccio International Airport on the occasion of his one-day visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
A woman holds a placard reading: "Welcome, 108 year's old the eldest of Ajaccio" as she waits for the arrival of Pope Francis at the Baptistery of St. Jean in Ajaccio during the Pontiff one-day visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Pope Francis greets the journalists aboard his flight bound for Corsica for his apostolic journey in Ajaccio, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Remo Casilli/Pool Via AP)
Pope Francis arrives at Ajaccio International Airport on the occasion of his one-day visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Pope Francis arrives at Ajaccio International Airport on the occasion of his one-day visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Pope Francis is welcomed by children as he arrives at Ajaccio International Airport on the occasion of his one-day visit in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Workers set up the altar prior to Pope Francis' visit, in Ajaccio, in the southern French island of Corsica, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
A woman carries bags bearing the Pope Franci' image prior to Pope's visit, in Ajaccio, in the southern French island of Corsica, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
A man sits in the chair that the Pope Francis will use to celebrate a mass on Sunday, for a photo souvenir, in Ajaccio, in the southern French island of Corsica, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
People walk near the seafront of Ajaccio prior to Pope Francis' visit, in the southern French island of Corsica, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
People walk past a mural featuring Pope Francis prior to the Pope's visit, in Ajaccio, in the southern French island of Corsica, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
People walk past a mural featuring Pope Francis prior to the Pope's visit, in Ajaccio, in the southern French island of Corsica, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
People walk past a mural featuring Pope Francis prior to the Pope's visit, in Ajaccio, in the southern French island of Corsica, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Pope Francis boards an airplane at Rome's Fiumicino, airport as he leaves for his one-day visit to Ajaccio in he French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec.15, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis boards an airplane at Rome's Fiumicino, airport as he leaves for his one-day visit to Ajaccio in he French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec.15, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis boards an airplane at Rome's Fiumicino, airport as he leaves for his one-day visit to Ajaccio in he French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec.15, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)