Pep Guardiola admits Man City’s title race will be OVER if they lose to Liverpool next week as beleaguered boss concedes his champions are ‘fragile’ after Spurs hammering

Pep Guardiola admitted that Manchester City are inside their own heads after the Premier League champions lost an unprecedented fifth straight game.

Tottenham stunned City 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium, with James Maddison netting a brace – a result that hands a major title advantage to Liverpool before they face Southampton on Sunday.

City go to Anfield next Sunday and could be 11 points behind Arne Slot’s leaders were they to lose again on Merseyside. It’s the worst run of form in Guardiola’s managerial career and City’s heaviest home defeat in 21 years.

‘In eight years we have never lived this kind of situation,’ Guardiola said. ‘Now we have to live it and break it by winning the next games, especially the next one. Now we see things in one way, maybe in a few weeks we see it differently.

‘We’re a bit fragile, that is obvious. We struggled to score and then we’re playing in our thoughts a little bit of negativity.

‘There were a few reasons we’re not able to be consistent. Now the balance is not in the right moment. But it happened. We have to do it, talk and on Tuesday against Feyenoord (in the Champions League) have the chance to try. Hopefully the players can follow me.’

The Premier League champions lost an unprecedented fifth straight game on Saturday

City could be 11 points behind Liverpool if they lose at Anfield next weekend

Asked if the title has gone if they do slip 11 points behind Liverpool, Guardiola replied: ‘Yep. In terms of Liverpool winning, winning, yep.’

City also lost their 35-match unbeaten home record in the league and Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou claimed the visitors targeted Guardiola’s full backs to inflict maximum damage.

‘I thought if we got the ball out to them early… City are so aggressive in their approach, man to man,’ the Australian said. ‘Our build-up play today… we persisted in hitting those areas we needed to. We looked really threatening.

‘It is significant because they’ve got an unbelievable record at home. You can’t be blasé about it. We’ve reached these standards before but it’s about not dropping.’

City captain Kyle Walker blamed collective defensive issues for their slump – and attempted to issue a rallying cry ahead of Anfield.

‘It’s a great game to turn it around and take three points from the team who sit above you,’ Walker said. ‘But we can’t put in a performance like that or we’ll get walked over.

‘I wouldn’t say we’ve lost confidence together. You have to go back to the basics and get a clean sheet.’