In what aimed to be the Premier League against Guardiola in search of a historic ‘repoker’ never seen before, Manchester City continues to travel through unknown territory. And, for the first time since his arrival in England in the summer of 2016, Pep faces ‘Boxing Day’… outside of the positions that give access to European competition.
Guardiola, thoughtful at Villa ParkAP
“I’m not good enough. I’m the boss, I have to find solutions and so far I haven’t. That is the reality,” Guardiola confessed after the setback suffered in the ‘Manchester Derby’ against a United team (1-2) that turned the game around in the final minutes.
A bottomless pit
Far from correcting it after a week of rest, they added another defeat—there are now nine in the last 12 games—on their visit to Birmingham. They lost 2-1 at the hands of Unai Emery’s Aston Villa for the second consecutive season. A result that has Manchester City traveling in seventh position in the Premier after 17 games played… and just 27 points in their locker.
Guardiola, however, does not throw in the towel: “I have total confidence in these guys. Some of them have incredible pride. I have to find a way to get us back, sooner or later,” he said after falling at Villa Park.
An empire without parallel
During the eight seasons he has been in the Islands, Guardiola has never been in a situation as delicate as the current one. He has dominated the Premier League with an iron fist, winning the title six times. The only two times he missed it was in his debut season (2016-17) and, later, in 2019-20. On both occasions, they reached Boxing Day seven points behind Chelsea and 14 behind Liverpool, respectively.
This team was consistent for a long time and we broke all records. Now we are on the other side
Pep Guardiola, Manchester City coach
“This team was consistent for a long time and we broke all the records. Now we are on the other side. We have to find a way. Life gives you that challenge and you have to deal with it,” he says.
The never seen
The dominance is palpable. Now, the route to building such a record has by no means been a bed of roses. And, on four of the six occasions that they ended up lifting the title, their Manchester City team was not leading after 17 days played. That is why this team should never be considered dead.
It is true that they have never overcome a distance of 12 points… which could rise to 15 if Liverpool wins the ‘Merseyside Derby’ that Slot’s team have pending against Everton. A scenario that has made Guardiola begin to consider other objectives to save the season: “Right now we cannot compete, we can survive. Qualifying for the Champions League will not be easy. But we will get it.”
