New Delhi: For a while now Pep Guardiola has been in unchartered land with Manchester City. His team’s season in the UEFA Champions League has been far from dominating. Loss against Juventus on Wednesday means their progress to the knockout stage in the tournament is doubtful. In their last ten games, they have managed to win only once and lost seven times across competition.
While City are never off the chances of making a comeback and winning a title, Guardiola’s window of turning their fortunes is diminishing. The stats are poor and shed light on the poor form that Manchester City have been in. After keeping clean sheet in their first three Champions League games, they have conceded nine times in their last three. In fact across competition they have conceded 20 times, more than any other teams.
🔵📉 Manchester City concede their 23th goal in the last 10 games in all competitions. pic.twitter.com/ouLjDJEqfa
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 11, 2024
Guardiola reflected that the team had played “really, really well.” He may have downplayed the conceding part despite his side having failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eight games across the competition. However, critics have noted that Man City found it an uphill task to get through the defence of Juventus, leaving even their best striker, Erling Haaland, in frustration.
Heading into the game, Man City had the uphill task of winning all three games to help themselves stay in contention for the knockout stage. With the top eight teams five points clear and City only having six points to fight for, their aim will be to finish in the knockout stage play-off place. While they are in the 22nd position of the 24 teams who can feature in the knockout stage, they are just one point ahead of 25th-placed PSG.
It is PSG that City will be facing in their next game on the French team’s home ground. This game could decide the fate of the two sides in the competition. However, for City the game after is against Club Brugges at Etihad Stadium and should be in favour of the Premier League side.
Except for his first season, City have always managed to reach the quarter-final of the tournament, winning once in 2023. Though such a finish would ensure they remain in the competition, there comes the strain on the squad to play two more games in a season that is already too packed for the side.
With so much football left to be played, the competition is in jeopardy, with very few teams confirmed to be eliminated and even fewer teams sure of their qualification to the knockout stage. Teams are still fighting for the automatic qualification or for playoffs. In Guardiola’s mind, they have to gain one point at last from his next two fixtures as he reassured that the team will turnaround and not forget about the time period.
In Guardiola’s mind, they have to gain one point at last from his next two fixtures as he reassured that the team will turnaround and not forget about the time period.
🔵 Pep Guardiola: “We played good. Really, really good. The performance is there”.
“We have done really, really well tonight. We didn’t lose many balls that had happened in the past and we tried, we arrived in the positions”. pic.twitter.com/igJz9RelGu
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 11, 2024
Until now, City under Guardiola has been consistent, and that has been the reason for their prolonged success. The Spaniard has rarely faced this big a crisis where he needs to make a big change in his squad. Instead, he has mostly relied on improving and strengthening areas where the team might have been lacking behind.
Many believe this prolonged success is the reason why City’s players who have been part of the highs are facing saturation. Despite their summer signing of Savinho and the return of Ilkay Gundogan, many feel the side needs a massive restructuring for City to be the best team on English soil.
City’s biggest trouble this season has been injury, with Oscar Bobb, Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji and John Stones on the sidelines. Kevin de Bruyne has just recently returned from a hamstring injury and has struggled to be the player he is known to be. Their biggest loss has been Rodri, whose injury has put the side’s midfield under immense pressure.
Even against Juventus, they were unable to cope with the transition of play and were missing the Spanish international badly. In scrutiny, Man City haven’t been able to dominate or control the midfield. Further, City have failed to make a fast response to a transition of play. Of course the natural debate is why City are so dependent on one player. However, the results and the tactics do point to that grave conclusion.
Though Guardiola has seen failure before at City, they haven’t been of this scale. Still, Guardiola believes he conducts himself in a “stable” manner in loss or win, and hence, he is sure he can find their winning ways back.
With just two wins from six games in the UEFA Champions League, Pep Guardiola’s struggling Manchester City is just above the elimination zone. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
