Manchester City looked set to win the Manchester derby on Sunday afternoon, but ended up 2-1 in the final minutes. This is Manchester City’s eighth defeat in the past 11 games in all competitions.
Guardiola made it clear who he was blaming after the game, telling BBC Sport: “I’m not good enough. I’m the boss. I’m the manager. I have to find a solution and so far I haven’t. That’s the reality.”
This is the first time anyone has questioned Guardiola’s future for all the wrong reasons. How valid are these questions – could he solve City’s problems if he stayed?
Will Guardiola leave Manchester City?
Guardiola made it very clear that he had absolutely no intention of quitting before City lost to Manchester United.
Asked at the pre-match press conference if he regretted extending his contract until 2027, Guardiola said: “Absolutely not.
“When the club was in this situation, I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I thought I was leaving, even worse than now. No way. They could sack me, it could happen. But to leave now in this position? No chance.”
If that’s the case now, it seems unlikely that things getting worse will prompt people to change their minds – if things get better, then surely he would want to be the one to lead their revival?
Will Manchester City sack Guardiola?
Guardiola’s own position looks secure, but what about the City board? How far does his sincerity extend? When did they start wondering if he was the one to turn things around?
It seems premature to sack the greatest head coach of his generation at the moment, but the question is how long they will let this horrible situation go on before they start thinking about it.
It’s difficult to know the answer to this question because Guardiola has never held this position before. In some ways this was the worst of his managerial career, so no one ever asked him these kinds of questions at Barcelona, ​​Bayern Munich or at any time during his first eight years at Manchester City.
Guardiola is ranked fifth for a reason four-four-two A list of the greatest managers of all time.
City have only missed out on the title twice before under Guardiola: in his first season, when the club still didn’t automatically top the table, and then in 2019/20, when Liverpool were unstoppable.
City lost more than usual that season – nine times in the league – but each dropped points followed by winning the next game; it was more a case of bad days than chronic malaise. They’ve already surpassed their loss total for the season with more than half the season still to go.
A contract extension would only complicate things further, making getting rid of Guardiola more expensive than the relatively small sum they would otherwise have to pay.
However, we would point out that the current City regime have only made one mid-season manager change before, sacking the manager they inherited when they took over in September 2008. Even so, they gave Mark Hughes just over a year to serve. In December 2009, he was replaced by his own player Roberto Mancini.
It feels like even in the worst-case scenario, City’s track record suggests they will wait until the end of the season before making a decision. Even so, they will recognize that their problems cannot be entirely laid at the feet of Guardiola.
If Guardiola isn’t City’s problem, then what is?
Of course, the impact of losing Ballon d’Or winner Rodri is huge, leaving City more vulnerable to getting bogged down on the counter-attack and losing their famous composure and composure on the ball. Any club misses a player Currently ranked No. 1 in FourFourTwo’s ranking of the world’s best players
But over the past few weeks, surprisingly, the issues have gone far beyond the loss of their talismanic midfielder. It’s strange to watch City struggle in the Manchester derby, seemingly content to try to keep the game at 1-0 – despite United not being at their best at the moment.
As the game against Manchester United confirmed, one of the main problems is that City rely on too many players and their best days now look to be behind them.
Kyle Walker’s decline had been noted for some time last season and throughout the Euros, and he has carried that inconsistent form into the new season. City have been able to take more risks than most teams in the past because they could rely on Walker’s recovery to save them, but he was often caught out of position and slightly lacked the lightning pace he used so well throughout. his career.
Kevin De Bruyne was a bit player until the end of last season, missing the first half of the game due to injury, and gradually found good form after gradually returning to the team, but this season he has no longer looked like himself. ‘s shadow. Against Manchester United, his passing in the box was abysmal and the only time he created a significant chance was by Josco Gvaldiol, but it only succeeded due to a huge deflection.
Ilkay Gundogan’s return from Barcelona was celebrated in the summer, but there should also be red flags for Manchester City to bring back a 34-year-old midfielder they happily departed a year ago… …Not to mention Barcelona’s contentment at the time to send him back. Since coming back, he hasn’t looked like he’s up to speed.
At the same time, Manchester City’s performance on the wing is difficult to reach the usual level: their most efficient winger is Bernardo Silva, and he has played 21 times in the Premier League and Champions League this season and contributed 4 assists. Only scored one goal.
Jeremy Doku often flatters and deceives, Jack Grealish remains unsociable, and while Savinho has shown some signs of promise, he’s clearly not done yet.
The rest of the squad – Phil Foden in particular – looked tired, having barely missed a minute last season and then playing tired at the European Championship or Copa America in the summer.
Add to that Ederson’s lack of form, some injury issues, a sense that they may have lost a bit of hunger after years of success, and a lack of first-team experience among some of their youngsters… City are allowing a lot of hiccups all at once Climb on them.
Can Guardiola reverse Manchester City’s decline?
At the moment, it feels more like the end of an era for this particular team than necessarily the end of the Manchester City era as a whole.
Such problems may occur. Sir Alex Ferguson is renowned for his ability to consistently build multi-generational championship teams at Manchester United, but even he needs some improvement, although he never experienced such poor form in his first few years at the club. Sometimes a transition period of one or two years is required.
United went three years without a title in the mid-2000s as they faced the gradual decline and departures of most of the players from the 1999 Treble-winning side, but during that time they brought in Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra and Edwin van der Sar, he would go on to become the cornerstone of Ferguson’s greatest Manchester United side.
City now feel they are in a similar situation – including having a manager hailed as the best in the world. The question is whether City and Guardiola have the patience to complete such a rebuilding project together.
