Pep Guardiola was fuming after City’s 4-2 win over Spurs in January, even though they had come from 2-0 down at the Etihad.
He said: ‘Playing with this lack of passion, this season I can announce we are not going to win anything.
‘[We lacked] guts, passion, fire, desire to win from minute one. The same with the fans, they are silent for 45 minutes. I want my fans back. The fans have to shout.
‘They booed because we were losing, but not because we played bad. We played good. We were better. They booed because we were losing, but maybe it’s like our team.
‘I don’t recognise my team, they [previously] had the passion and desire to run. Do you think we are going to chase the gap to Arsenal the way we are playing? No way.
‘I want a reaction from the whole club – everyone. We are a happy flowers organisation. I don’t want happy flowers. I want to beat Arsenal. Play this way and Arsenal will destroy us.
‘We are far away from the team we had in previous seasons. Do you think this comeback will happen every time? It won’t.
‘Today we were lucky. If we want to win something or compete – but complaining, complaining, complaining – no chance we will win anything.
‘There is something in the clouds, that you cannot express, that we just don’t have.’