Pep Guardiola faces an unprecedented challenge as Manchester City experiences its worst run under his leadership.
This situation marks the first time in his entire managerial journey that he has lost four consecutive matches.
A palpable crisis surrounds the reigning Premier League champions, who fell to Brighton with a score of 2-1, pushing them five points behind Liverpool. The Merseyside club secured a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa, with Darwin Núñez and Mohamed Salah finding the net.
City’s current predicament is striking, as they haven’t endured four straight defeats since 2006, a time well before the Abu Dhabi ownership transformed the club and ten years prior to Guardiola’s impactful arrival.
Regarded as one of the finest coaches globally, Guardiola has never encountered such a losing streak since he began managing in 2007.
His nearest brush with a similar situation was during the 2014-15 season at Bayern Munich, where he faced a penalty shootout defeat in the German Cup followed by three losses—two in the Bundesliga, when the title was already secured, and one in the Champions League.
In light of these challenges, Guardiola was questioned about whether this marked the end of an era after leading City to four consecutive league titles.
“It’s what the people want, right?” he replied. “That’s normal—we’ve won a lot. I would just like to have the entire squad available.”
Unfortunately, full squad availability seems distant, as star midfielder Rodri, this year’s Ballon d’Or winner, is sidelined for the season with an ACL injury. Guardiola also lacks his top four center-backs—Ruben Dias, John Stones, Manuel Akanji, and Nathan Ake—while playmaker Kevin De Bruyne is still regaining his form after injury.
“When we play poorly, I am the first to say, ‘Oh, oh, I don’t like it.’ But I don’t feel that way now,” Guardiola stated.
Indeed, City displayed dominance in the first half, taking the lead through Erling Haaland, who netted his league-leading 12th goal.
However, similar to their recent 4-1 defeat against Sporting in the Champions League, City faltered in the second half. Brighton rallied, with Joao Pedro equalizing in the 78th minute and assisting Matt O’Riley for the winning goal in the 83rd during his Premier League debut.
City’s streak of losses began at Tottenham in the English League Cup, followed by a 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth in the league—marking their first league loss in 11 months.
For Guardiola, the message is clear. The team’s depth is struggling to manage injuries while facing a demanding schedule.
“We cannot handle this every three days with the injury situation we have,” he expressed, adding with a hint of urgency, “I would love to have the players back.”
City’s next match will be after the international break, facing Tottenham in the league at home.
Salah Shines for Liverpool
Liverpool has surged to victory in nine of its 11 league matches, showcasing an impressive start under new manager Arne Slot, who has revitalized Salah’s performance.
Salah assisted Núñez during a rapid counterattack in the 20th minute and later scored himself in the 84th minute, marking his 10th goal of the season.
“If you had asked me before the season, I wouldn’t have said we were contenders,” Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister remarked regarding their title prospects, “but now it seems we are.”
Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold exited the match in the first half due to a suspected hamstring injury.
