Manchester City have once again failed to win a game. This time the Sky Blues have bottled a three-goal lead in the ongoing UEFA Champions League 2024/25 season. After five consecutive defeats, City squandered a three-goal lead in the closing 15 minutes. To draw 3-3 at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday. Guardiola’s club was once fifth in the Champions League table, but they finished 15th.
With Erling Haaland’s brace and Ilkay Gundogan’s lone goal, Manchester City appeared to be on their way to an easy victory. What followed was an unfathomable collapse in which Guardiola’s squad conceded three late goals, adding to the four they conceded against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. They now have five defeats and one draw in their previous six outings. Their next domestic league opponent will be Liverpool.
Pep Guardiola’s team went from 3-0 up in the 75th minute to a tense 3-3 draw. However, the final quarter of the match turned into a nightmare for the English winners, who watched as their Dutch opponents tied the score. While the worst losing streak of Guardiola’s managerial career was brought to an end, his wait for a first win since October 26 goes on. Without Rodri the side has struggled to find its form.
Pep Era losing its shine
The first time Manchester City had thrown away such an advantage under Guardiola, leaving the 2023 Champions League winners adrift. Pep Guardiola said the team’s recent losing run was affecting their confidence. The Spanish manager said, “The game was good for our confidence, we were playing at a good level, and then for the first time something happened, we had problems. Everybody knows the situation, we don’t have to adapt anything.”
“Tomorrow [Wednesday] we have to train, recover then prepare for the next game. We have two or three days to prepare for that and go for it. We will learn for the future. It has been a really difficult season for us of many circumstances and today, unfortunately, the game was well done, we punished them in the right moments. The team was so committed to so many things.”
