Manchester City is having a tough time right now under Pep Guardiola. They’re on a rough patch, losing five games in a row across all competitions, which is the longest losing streak in Pep’s impressive coaching career. Their recent 4-0 loss to Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium really showed how much the team is struggling.
Defensive Fragility and Injuries
Guardiola has straight up admitted that the team’s defense is a bit shaky calling it “fragile” after that big loss to Spurs. The defense has really taken a hit especially with injuries to important players like Rodri who’s out with a knee issue. You can really notice Rodri’s missing since City didn’t lose any of the 34 Premier League games he played last season. On top of that the other defenders, like Kyle Walker, haven’t been playing at their usual level which makes things even tougher.
Offensive Challenges
Even though City had the ball most of the time and created a bunch of chances their ability to score has definitely dropped off. In the game against Tottenham they held on to 58% of the possession and took 23 shots but didn’t manage to find the net. Guardiola pointed out that while the team is making chances they’re not really taking advantage of them. Lately it’s seemed like they really depend on Erling Haaland to score since the other forwards haven’t been stepping up much.
Upcoming Challenges
Manchester City has some important games coming up in both local and European leagues. They’ll be taking on Feyenoord in the UEFA Champions League, and then it’s a big Premier League match against Liverpool. These games are a real chance for City to get back on track and catch up to Liverpool, who are currently eight points ahead.
Even though City hasn’t been performing well right now, Guardiola’s experience and confidence in his team give fans a reason to be optimistic about a turnaround. The next few matches are going to be key in figuring out if City can get out of this rut and show everyone they’re still a top team in football.
