Crisis looms for City: three defeats in a row, the shadow of Rodri, Pep's farewell…

Manchester City are facing a crisis… if they are not already. Pep Guardiola’s side were thrashed in Lisbon by Ruben Amorin’s Sporting CP (4-1), which extends a series of defeats (three in a row) that is completed with elimination from the Carabao Cup against Tottenham (2-1) and defeat in the Premier League against Bournemouth (2-1).

In the ‘Pep era’, something like this has not happened since April 2018, and if City were to lose to Brighton next weekend, it would be an unprecedented event: four consecutive defeats for Guardiola in Manchester. Continuing with the statistics, City had not conceded four goals in Europe since October 2016 (4-0 against Barca) and yesterday a run of 25 games without defeat in the Champions League (not counting penalty shootout defeats) that Pep had since May 2022 was interrupted.

The crisis of results is there, although City still has the excuse of being very much alive in the Premier League (it is second, two points behind Liverpool); to be sixth, at least momentarily, in the Champions League (seven points in four games after beating Slovan and Sparta and drawing 0-0 against Inter); and to have already won the Community Shield in August (on penalties against Manchester United).

But beyond the numbers, why are City in this situation?Injuries. It is clear that the carousel of injuries since the season began has been enormous. “We’ve had 13 injuries and that’s never happened in my nine years here,” said Pep after losing to Iraola’s Bournemouth. At present, and as was the case in Lisbon, Grealish, Bobb, Stones, Rodri and Ruben Dias are out of orbit. Walker, De Bruyne (who played five minutes against Sporting) and Doku are already fit, but are out of rhythm. As a consequence, the defence in Lisbon was made up of two 19-year-olds: right-back Rico Lewis and centre-back Simpson-Pursey.

Rodri’s absence. Nothing would be understood about this mini-crisis for the Citizens without mentioning the absence of what is surely the most important player in the team: the Spaniard Rodri Hernandez, who won the Ballon d’Or at the recent gala in Paris. Rodri will be out for the whole year and Pep is trying to find a replacement with partial solutions that are not filling the eye of the fans: Kovacic, Gndogan… Going to the winter market is a solution that is already being considered at the Etihad.

Reliance on Haaland. Of the 21 goals the team has scored in the Premier League, 11 are from the Norwegian, who yesterday crashed a penalty against the crossbar in the debacle in Lisbon. Injuries to Doku, De Bruyne and Grealish increase this reliance.

Foden’s case. Many City fans do not understand why one of the best players in English football has only played seven Premier League games (out of 10) and only three (including the last two) in the starting eleven. The Englishman’s start to the season is not going well and City are also noticing this.

Pep’s farewell. The Catalan arrived at the Etihad in the summer of 2016 and, in principle, this could be his last campaign, as his contract expires in 2025. This does not have to be a problem for either the club or the coach, but it does create some instability in the team’s environment. Speculation is already rife as to who will replace him. In addition, it is already official that Txiki Begiristain, the team’s director of football, will also leave his post next summer, and it is certain that Portuguese Hugo Viana will take his place. There was speculation that Ruben Amorim, United’s next coach, was going to be Viana’s choice to replace Pep, but that will no longer be possible.

Pep’s reflection. Yesterday, the Catalan coach expressed himself as follows: “Now is a difficult moment in terms of results but I’m here. I want to be here! And I want to fight and not give up, I like this challenge that as a coach I have ahead of me, and whoever wants to follow me, will be there!”

And in this scenario, City will play Brighton next weekend, with a fourth defeat on the horizon. Then come Tottenham… and the unstoppable Liverpool.