LONDON - Pep Guardiola ripped into his Manchester City players in the dressing room on Tuesday night - despite notching a 17th consecutive victory in all competitions.
Raheem Sterling’s late winner eased Feyenoord aside and extended a club record of wins on the spin, but Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure (right) revealed the City manager was incensed by his team’s lack of cutting edge.
"Sometimes, when the manager makes changes, then maybe in your head you’re not so focused and we don’t concentrate," said Toure.
"We miss easy passes and we miss easy chances. The manager at the end was quite angry with the team.
"We can do better than that. We played lazily. You have to respect the opponent and the way to do that is to score goals."
Guardiola warned City about the potential for complacency last week and Toure addressed whether staying motivated for what appear to be routine games could become a problem.
"That’s my worry," he added. "It’s human nature that sometimes you are a little bit lazy — think you’re super or arrogance can go in your head.
"Especially when you are young. You look beautiful and think you’re going to be the best but we have to keep going. The momentum is brilliant at the moment."
Despite his misgivings, Toure insisted City can still pose a real challenge to the likes of Juventus, Real Madrid and Barcelona in the Champions League this season.
"When you see all the top teams, they all struggle a little bit," Toure said.
"When I see Juventus, Real Madrid or Barcelona - all these teams - we’ve got to be stronger and better.
"Statistics mean nothing and we have to play against them and see where we are."
Phil Foden, the 17-year-old boyhood City supporter, replaced the 34-year-old veteran to make his debut against Feyenoord.
"‘It meant everything," Foden said. "I’ve waited so long for this opportunity and it finally came and meant everything to me.
"It’s brilliant to be around players like David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne and learn every day from them. It’s an honour to be involved with the squad."