Manchester City are breaking records for all of the wrong reasons at the minute. Pep Guardiola is left scratching his head once again as they lost to their old rival Manchester United last Sunday. Manchester City is currently experiencing a challenging period in the Premier League, standing in 5th place with a record of 8 wins, 3 draws, and 5 losses.
Manchester City’s Downfall: A Season of Struggles
City’s recent 2-1 defeat to Manchester United has increased criticism of manager Pep Guardiola, whose odds of becoming the next Premier League manager to quit have dropped to 10/1. To find great betting odds like this, pay a visit to the list of best online casinos in Bangladesh.
Is this the new Manchester City? Gvardiol put them ahead against Manchester United at the Etihad, but Manchester United came roaring back with Bruno Fernandez’s goal, which was a penalty, to equalize things, and then Ammed Diallo as well in the 90th minute.
Tactical, Physical, and Psychological Challenges Facing Pep Guardiola and Manchester City
Eight defeats in their last 11 matches, what happened to the old City recently? Although there are a few players missing, they have largely got most of their first XI fit, but everyone just seems to be playing two or three levels below what they were last season. The main problems were:
- The level of connectivity in the team has dropped—from the goalkeeper, through the backline, midfield, and all the way to the front
- Ederson, who normally excels in distribution, is having too many errors in goal and isn’t being trusted to play his usual role
- The defensive line has aged, and the team doesn’t play with natural fullbacks anymore, leaving them vulnerable.
- Their possession-based style has dropped off drastically, with matches where they’ve only had 52% possession, resembling an ordinary team instead of the dominant side we’ve seen in past years.
- City is struggling to close out games, evident in collapses like conceding three goals to Feyenoord or late losses in key matches like the Manchester Derby.
- They are failing to dominate teams in the way we’re used to seeing them do, raising questions about their ability to compete for major honors this season
- Opponents no longer fear Manchester City; teams now see them as vulnerable and believe they have a real chance against them.
Can City Comeback from the Recent Record-Breaking Losing Streak?
Manchester City has only won one match in their last 11 now. Typical City, as you can see at the top. It feels like every week they’re hitting a new low. We’re wondering when it’ll stop because we’ve seen Manchester City in this position before. They’re not at their best when heading into Christmas, and then they turn things around in the New Year drastically, going on to win the Premier League and compete in the Champions League. But this spiral feels much different.
Ped Guardiola’s Defensive Frailties
First of all, Guardiola’s been scratching his head the entire game. This is uncharted territory in terms of not knowing where the bottom is, and that’s kind of scary. Every game that they lose has been so significant, not just because it’s a loss, but because of the opponent.
They lost to Juventus in the away game, now against United in the Derby. They were winning 3-0 to Feyenoord and conceded three at home in the last 15 minutes. We don’t know if Pep Guardiola has the answers to fix it, they’re bleeding goals non-stop, and they don’t know how to stop it.
They’ve conceded more goals than Crystal Palace and Everton, which is quite remarkable, the number’s 23 goals now, which is a shame. You’re playing against your local rival Manchester United going through their own struggles, appointed a new manager, trying to correct things, and you were leading this game in the 88th minute. To lose the game from the 88th minute onwards is a disaster. This is why Pep Guardiola is in the state that he’s in right now.
Conclusion
Guardiola went to Everton and didn’t do so well, and you’d think in Napoli he didn’t do so well because he didn’t have the massive budget and the massive players, but everywhere Pep has gone, he’s had the best players and the best team, and he’s at the best club. It’s about time he picked up the defensive pace and made Manchester City great again.
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