İlkay Gündoğan has suggested that Manchester City's struggles this season have been down to lacking "behaviours" that helped them win four Premier League titles in a row.
Champions in six of the last seven years, City's dip this season has left them sweating on finishing in the top five this season and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.
Gündoğan accepts that injuries to key players like Rodri have played a part. But the midfielder has also hinted that the squad have sometimes not had the same level of "determination and desire" as in previous campaigns.
"I feel like in a lot of games from our side maybe we gave sometimes a bit too much importance to tactics and didn't really pay attention much on behaviour; behaviours of ourselves," Gündoğan told ESPN.
"Having that determination, that desire, aggressivity. Like simple things that are part of the game, but maybe sometimes you just think too much about positioning yourself or whatever. You might forget the other things that are kind of normal or that should be normal at least."
City have slowly rebuilt their season after a miserable run of form in November and December saw them drop out of the title race. Unbeaten in their last four games in all competitions, Pep Guardiola's side have seven games left to secure a top-five finish which would be enough to qualify for next season's Champions League.
They start with a game against Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday and Gündoğan said he's positive for the run-in after seeing what he believes could be a turning point with the hard-fought FA Cup win at Bournemouth at the end of March.
"Honestly in the last few games I see a certain change, especially that uncomfortable, very uncomfortable game against Bournemouth in the FA Cup," he said. "The way they play -- aggressive, physically strong -- and the way we behave there away at their place, especially after also conceding the first one, I think it was just unbelievable."
For Gündoğan, the togetherness shown to come from a goal down to win 2-1 at the Vitality Stadium was just as impressive as any moment of individual brilliance.
"Maybe people don't give much credit to that because people tend, especially in our society and also in football society right now, they tend to credit more a beautiful goal, a beautiful assist or beautiful actions by a single player," he said.
"They don't credit anymore so much working for the team, having the right mentality and to be there, fighting for each other, staying close to each other and doing everything together.
"So sometimes you maybe drift tend to drift apart a bit from these things. But honestly I have to say that since the international break now in March, since we came back together, I see an improvement also in that area."