Aston Villa manager Remi Garde defended his side's negative tactics as they were trounced 4-0 at Manchester City, their 19th loss in 29 Premier League games.

City boasted 71 per cent possession and had 22 shots to Villa's two, but Garde – who named five defenders - said it would have been 'suicide' to have been more expansive.

'Probably the fans wanted more attacking play, but I am manager of a team trying to stay in the Premier League,' he said.

Remi Garde watched his Aston Villa side rack up another defeat after a 4-0 thumping by Manchester City

Aston Villa set up with five defenders in an attempt to stem the attacking threat of the home side

'I know the strength of my team and also the weaknesses. Sometimes we have tried to play more open and been punished, like our last game at Villa Park (they lost 3-1 to Everton).

'Being too optimistic would have been suicide. When you are losing games, you are criticised. We accept that.

'But if we had played the second half like the first, if they hadn't scored the first goal so early after half-time, the game could have been different.

'To then concede a second goal was a big blow as you can imagine. It became a different scenario.'

Frenchman Garde defended his tactics after the game insisting playing too open would have been suicide

Villa looked doomed in their bid to avoid the drop this season after the 19th defeat of the season

Garde was recommended to Villa by Arsene Wenger when he succeeded Tim Sherwood in the autumn. But his unhappy spell has been a catalogue of fall-outs and defeats.

He wasn't backed in the January transfer window by the board and Villa are currently eight points adrift of the bottom of the table, nine from safety.

'I am very confident in my management. I have problems but that's not one of them,' he said.