For the first time since Pep Guardiola took over duties as manager, Manchester City has lost five games in a row, and in devastating fashion.
It all started going wrong in the match against Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup. Fans with Man City tickets didn’t know that the 2-1 loss to the Spurs was just the start of four more weeks of devastating defeats.
The 4-0 defeat to Spurs was the final nail in City’s coffin. Something is radically wrong with the team, and the fans don’t know what.
De Bruyne – Chaos Behind the Scenes
City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne conceded there had been some chaos behind the scenes at Manchester City but refuted the suggestion of a dark atmosphere.
City have lost their last five games in all competitions and are eight points behind leaders Liverpool in the Premier League.
Their dismal run of form continued with a shock 4-0 loss at home to Tottenham on Saturday.
De Bruyne, who has featured just six times in the Premier League this season and made just four starts, says there is no bad mood in the camp.
“I wouldn’t say dark, it’s been a bit chaotic,” said the Belgian ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Feyenoord.
“I’ve seen so many people pass around the medical area, sports science, playing and not playing. There’s been so many people playing who shouldn’t have been playing.
“The games against Sporting, Brighton and Bournemouth were all over the place. Tottenham was more normal.
“I didn’t see much change; everyone is down about the five losses. You have to move on.”
City have already shipped 17 league goals this term, while they were beaten 4-1 by Sporting CP in their last European outing.
Since their losing run started with a 2-1 loss to Spurs in the EFL Cup on October 30, City have conceded 14 goals from 10.6 expected goals against (xGA).
“There’s only so much you can control from the sides. It’s not a nice feeling, but it’s fine,” De Bryne added.
“It seems like we’re not really dealing with the moments when it goes bad. There are moments like the Tottenham game, which we do really well. The main issue is both boxes. We’re conceding too many goals. I don’t think we played a bad game the other day, but we lost 4-0.”
“If you give five chances against Tottenham, that’s not that bad. They get two tap-ins. With the way we play, you have to accept there’s more opportunity for teams to have a counter. At the moment, we’re not dealing with this well.
“We’re always going to give a chance away. We’re giving it away too many times. Giving a chance at a goal is basically a goal.”
For most of the fans who regularly buy Man City tickets from the secondary ticket marketplace, there is still hope. With the star-studded outfit, Manchester City still has what it takes to win its fourth consecutive title.
However, City must fight through this rough patch to regain momentum. Their upcoming UEFA Champions League clashes will be crucial since the club needs to get valuable points to ensure they are automatic qualifiers for the next round.
De Bruyne’s Future Unknown
The best midfielder that the Premier League has seen, De Bruyne, will be a free agent in June. But, the 33-year-old looks quite positive about the future.
However, unlike the season after, he sees the current situation as a challenge.
“I honestly don’t know. At the start of the season, I knew talks would happen, but then the thing [injury] happened in Brentford. It was meant to be a couple of days, but then it was eight to nine weeks. I put it all to the side,” he added.
“I’m not too worried. I’m fine. I’m happy, I just want to play good football again, and in the future, we’ll see.
“I only can really give you the answers, but I don’t know. If there are no talks, it will be my last year at the club, but I don’t know.
“I had a conversation in the summer, but then I had the injury, so I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to talk about that. I need to be back on the pitch and be myself again. There’s no rush, I don’t feel uncomfortable, I’m not worried.”
Not Changing Anything – Guardiola
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says it is tough for his players to “defend a legacy” and questioned why he should change his tactics despite a run of five successive defeats.
Not since his first season at City in 2016-17, when for a long time it looked possible they would fail to qualify for the Champions League, has Guardiola’s team been questioned in the way it is now.
Scrutiny is intense in the City right now, from the age of Guardiola’s players to the injuries some have suffered in their transfer business and the form of Erling Haaland.
Yet Guardiola refuses to contemplate changes to his philosophy and is keen to avoid negative knee-jerk reactions over players who have won four Premier League titles in a row and a historic Treble as recently as 2023.
“What should I change?” he asked. We are big believers in the process and the fundamentals we have to follow.
“I think we deserve some patience when we lose games. You are defending a legacy, tradition and success, and that is so difficult to handle.”
Searching for Answers
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is searching for answers after five successive defeats.
Despite the comfort blanket of 18 trophies in his eight full seasons at City, Guardiola reminds journalists often at media conferences that if he doesn’t deliver results, he risks losing his job just like any other manager.
One thing is certain, however: the fans with Man City tickets haven’t given up on him. For years, they’ve seen the club struggle, and since the Spaniard took over, there’s been more applause and wins than ever before.
Nobody would want to change any of that. Guardiola has not experienced this. He’s had rough patches at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, but he’s battled through them.
At any time, he’s always had the support of the dressing room and the fans from the secondary ticket marketplace. This time around at City, it is the same.
At times, it feels as though Guardiola is saying it to motivate himself.
