Manchester City's results crisis deepened on Saturday with the worst defeat of the Pep Guardiola era. The 'sky blue' team was thrashed at home by Tottenham (0-4) in what was their third consecutive defeat in the Premier League and the fifth in all competitions. Curiously, the free fall of the Mancunians began almost a month ago, against the 'spurs' (2-1).
Ange Postecoglou's men knocked City out of the League Cup with a home victory in the round of 16 and, on Saturday, they again made Guardiola bitter in the duel belonging to the twelfth matchday of the Premier. The locals attacked a lot in the first quarter of an hour of the match, but it was Tottenham who struck first thanks to a goal from James Maddison in the 13th minute.
The '10' of the 'spurs', who was celebrating his 28th birthday on the day, widened the difference in the 20th minute. In both goals, the midfielder took advantage of two errors by Gvardiol in covering spaces on the left. The home team finished collapsing just after the second half began, when Pedro Porro made it 0-3 in the 52nd minute.
To round off the rout, in the 90+3rd minute Brennan Johnson appeared to consummate a result that the Catalan coach had only suffered once in his career (in 2014, in the Champions League, with Bayern Munich against Real Madrid). He also lost three league games in a row with the Bavarians, but in 2015 and with the Bundesliga already decided, the man from Santpedor had lost three league games in a row.
Guardiola finds no solutions to City's crisis
After the heavy defeat at home, Pep looked dejected in the post-match press conference. For the coach, the reasons for the 'sky blue' crisis are still unclear, as the team continues to create chances, but has problems scoring and, later, in defence they are conceding too much.
"In eight years we have never experienced this type of situation, now it is our turn to experience it and we have to break it by winning the next games and, above all, the next one...", commented Guardiola. City will host Feyenoord next Tuesday for the fifth matchday of the Champions League, a duel where the locals are obliged to win to stay, at least, in the 'play off' zone.
What the Catalan coach is clear about is that the problems of the Manchester team have nothing to do with tactics. "Of course there are details, but in that situation what matters is how we react. And I don't think that in that situation, when you lose three games in a row in the Premier, the reason is a tactical issue...", he pointed out. City has not won for a month, on October 26 against Southampton (1-0).