At the top of European football for several seasons, Manchester City is going through its first real crisis under the leadership of Pep Guardiola. After going 13 games without defeat at the start of the season, the Citizens experienced their first disappointment against Tottenham (2-1) at the end of October in the English League Cup. Unfortunately, this defeat marked the start of a downward spiral, with four more consecutive losses in November.
If the victory against Nottingham Forest (3-0) at the beginning of December gave hope for a return to normal on the Eastlands side, the draw conceded against Crystal Palace (2-2) quickly reminded us that the problems within the Skyblues locker room were more deep. And this, despite the gradual return of certain executives absent due to injuries, with the exception of Rodri. The final blow finally came this Wednesday, during City’s trip to Juventus, which ended in a clear defeat (2-0) for the residents of the Etihad Stadium. A situation which aroused the incomprehension of many observers, like Jamie Carragher, in the face of the dismay of Guardiola and his men.
An unusually vulnerable Guardiola
The former Liverpool defender believes that the Catalan technician’s lack of experience in this type of situation could be what is lacking. “I can’t believe it when I see it. This is a huge and deep crisis. It’s a crisis that has lasted for three weeks. The best coach, perhaps the most successful coach of all time, cannot find solutions at the moment,” commented the consultant for CBS Sports.
And to add: “He tried different things, different systems, different positions… A coach like him really struggles to find a solution. He has never been in this situation before, he has no experience in this situation. There are many coaches in the world who will look at Pep with a half-smile, not enjoying it, but thinking that it is finally Pep Guardiola’s turn to approach this phase of his career. »
