It’s trouble in paradise for Man City as the club is currently on one of its driest Premier League spells in the Pep Guardiola era. The men in blue have managed to win only one out of the last six games, drawing four and losing one in the process. As a result, the Manchester club is currently placed fourth in the mid-season league table, three points away from leaders Liverpool, who have an extra game in hand. Let’s explore Man City’s slump in detail.
Manchester City’s substandard form
For any other club in the Premier League, being fourth on the table with just three points away from the top would be an impressive feat. However, thanks to the sky-high standards set by Pep Guardiola and his men over the past eight seasons, their current run is virtually a slump.
In their last six league games, Man City have lost to Aston Villa and drawn with Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and most recently, Crystal Palace. Their only win came against the relegation-facing Luton Town that too with great difficulty to come back from 1-0 at halftime.
Collectively, this means Guardiola’s men have dropped a staggering 11 out of a possible 18 points in just over a month’s time. As things stand, this is the Spanish manager’s lowest points earned after 17 matches played in the Premier League in his stellar tenure.
Should fans be concerned?
If history were to teach us anything, Man City fans do not need to be excessively worried about the rest of the season for their club. Keeping the league aside, the team just wrapped up a phenomenal Champions League group stage campaign with a perfect six out of six wins.
Man City Points After 17 Games:
34 points after 17 games this season is the lowest under Pep. Even in 2016/17 we had a better start (36 points).
Crisis. pic.twitter.com/zGlHRK3yan
— City Chief (@City_Chief) December 16, 2023
The Manchester club has also faced a string of injuries among their most important players including star playmaker Kevin De Bruyne who has been out since the beginning of the season. Even their goal machine Erling Haaland was out of the squad due to a recent injury but he is expected to return soon.
Furthermore, the top 5 teams in the league are currently just one point away from each other on the table. This means that it’s still not a difficult prospect for Man City to deliver a comeback like last year when they edged out Arsenal to win the Premier League title for the third consecutive time.
Pep Guardiola’s future at Man City
In recent press conferences, the tactical genius has been vocal about his dissatisfaction over his team’s performances. After giving away a 2-0 lead to Crystal Palace last night, the manager admitted that they deserved to draw because of their carelessness and that there was no ‘bad luck’ involved.
Despite their recent dry spell, it’s highly unlikely for Guardiola to resign or for the board to sack him, considering his immeasurable contributions to the club including a historic treble from last season. The former FC Barcelona manager has stood by Man City during even more difficult times than this, including the FA’s charges controversy. Notably. Guardiola’s contract ends in summer 2025.
