Another Game. Another Defeat. Manchester City seem to be unable to get themselves out of the hole that they have been in the last few matches. Seven matches to be exact. Pep Guardiola seems to be going out of control as the otherwise silent, “minding my own business” manager has found the need to be quite vocal and physical. After the last game in the Champions League against Feyenoord Pep Guardiola had violent scratch marks and bruises on his head and face. When asked about these marks, Pep Guardiola replied, “I wanted to harm myself”.
Damn, now that’s pretty darn scary. But little did Pep know that it wasn’t going to stop there. Just a few days later in the blockbuster clash against Premier League Table Toppers Liverpool FC, Manchester City succumbed to yet another loss in the Premier League dropping down to 5th position below the likes of Arsenal & Chelsea, while Liverpool moved 1 point clear of Manchester City and 9 points clear of the second-placed Arsenal.
There is one clearly identifiable problem at Manchester City. That being the lack of quality in that defensive midfield position after the unavailability of Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner after he suffered an ACL injury earlier this season. Kovacic, Rico Lewis and others simply lack the physicality that Rodri possesses to cover Manchester City’s defence and provide support in the attack. His technical ability further helps Rodri to wiggle out of tight spaces and make it practically impossible to take the ball off him.
7 defeats on the trot is a lot. Even for someone as great as the Spaniard. In the end at Anfield, as Arne Slot’s Liverpool put the game 2-0 up and out of Man City’s reach, the Liverpool fans started a chant of “You’re getting sacked in the morning”. Pep Guardiola’s response was holding up 6 fingers to show the fans that he had won 6 Premier Leagues in the last 7 seasons. Well, the last time a Manager boasted the number of league titles he had won in England, it all went downhill for him since then. Of course, that man was Pep Guardiola’s arch-rival, Jose Mourinho.
And it seems like it might be the end of the road for Pep Guardiola. Certainly at Manchester City. Is there a way back for Pep Guardiola from this? Let us know your opinion in the comments below.
