Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes the club’s title challenge will be over if they are beaten by Liverpool next weekend.
The humiliating 4-0 home defeat to Tottenham on Saturday evening has left the reigning champions reeling and, asked whether a defeat at Anfield would end their hopes of retaining the league title, Guardiola replied:
“Yeah, it’s true. We’re not thinking about winning or losing [the title], we are not in the situation to think about what is going to happen at the end of the season.”
“If in the end we don’t win it’s because we don’t deserve it. We won it in the past because we deserved it.”
It’s now 5 defeats on the bounce for City
The loss to Spurs was their fifth in a row in all competitions, stretching back to the defeat to Ange Postecoglou’s side in the Carabao Cup at the end of last month.
Despite the massive setback, Guardiola’s side remain 2nd in the Premier League table but wins for Arsenal, Chelsea and Brighton mean that all three clubs are now just a point behind them.
What has caused this dip in form?
There is no doubt that injuries have played a big part in the club’s current predicament. Heading into the Tottenham game, there were questions over the fitness of 11 first-team players.
While the likes of John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Phil Foden did return to the starting eleven, Nathan Ake, Matheus Nunes, Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish were only fit enough for a place on the bench. Ruben Dias, Mateo Kovacic, Jeremy Doku, Rodri and Oscar Bobb are still on the treatment table.
Of course, there are also other factors in play. City’s defending this season has left a lot to be desired. They have now conceded 17 goals in 12 Premier League matches.
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here
