Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho insists Pep Guardiola's ban was no excuse for their Champions League defeat to Lyon.

Fernandinho reckons not having Guardiola in the technical area was no excuse - and that there were some harsh words spoken between his stars in the dressing room afterwards.

He said: "No, I don't think so, because we work the last two days, focusing on the game with him.

"I don't know (why we lost). It is hard to explain. We conceded two goals and in this competition, we cannot win like this. We paid for that and we hope the next time it won't happen.

"From the players as well there were strong words. That is the best way to build a very good team.

"Of course, we are a good team because we won the Premier League last year, but to compete in Europe against good teams, good players, quality players, you have to have something extra.

"Of course we want to improve. It doesn't matter how and we are going to work through the week to focus on the next game."