Pep Guardiola is enduring the worst statistical run of his managerial profession after Manchester Metropolis misplaced their fourth straight recreation on Saturday.
Brighton got here from behind to beat the English champions 2-1 within the Premier League to depart second-placed Metropolis 5 factors behind leaders Liverpool.
Metropolis hadn’t misplaced 4 video games in a row in all competitions since 2006 — two years earlier than the Abu Dhabi takeover of the membership and 10 years earlier than Guardiola’s game-changing arrival on the blue aspect of Manchester.
As for Guardiola, extensively considered the world’s finest coach, he had by no means misplaced 4 straight matches wherever in his illustrious time in administration that started in 2007.
The closest he had come was within the 2014-15 season when, at Bayern Munich, his workforce misplaced in a penalty shootout within the German Cup adopted by three straight defeats — two within the Bundesliga, when Bayern had already clinched the title, and as soon as within the Champions League.
So, Guardiola was requested, is that this the tip of the period, after main Metropolis to an unprecedented 4 straight top-flight league titles?
“It is what the individuals need, proper?” he posed. “That is regular — we received so much. I’d similar to to have all of the squad [available].”
That will not be taking place anytime quickly contemplating star centre-midfielder Rodri, this 12 months’s Ballon d’Or winner, is out for the season with an ACL harm. Guardiola additionally had his finest 4 centre-backs — Rúben Dias, John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Aké — unavailable, whereas playmaker Kevin De Bruyne is clearly not sharp or match sufficient on his return from harm.
“After we play unhealthy, I’m the primary to say, ‘Oh, oh, I do not prefer it.’ However I haven’t got that feeling,” Guardiola mentioned.
Certainly, Metropolis have been dominant within the first half and went in entrance when Erling Haaland scored his league-leading twelfth aim of the marketing campaign.
Nevertheless, as within the 4-1 loss at Sporting within the Champions League on Tuesday, Metropolis could not maintain its stage within the second half and Brighton fought again, with Joao Pedro equalizing within the 78th and establishing Matt O’Riley for the winner within the 83rd on his Premier League debut.
Metropolis’s shedding run began at Tottenham within the Carabao Cup final week, earlier than a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth within the league — their first league defeat in 11 months.
For Guardiola, it is easy. Metropolis’s squad can not deal with all its accidents whereas the fixtures are coming thick and quick.
“We can not do it each three days, three days, 4 days, three days with the [injury] scenario we now have,” he mentioned, including with an air of desperation, “I’d like to have the gamers [back].”
Captain Kyle Walker was extra blunt on what Man Metropolis must reverse their stoop.
“It is right down to us as a bunch of gamers to ensure that we’re preventing for this nice membership,” he instructed Sky Sports activities. “It is robust to take, and I can guarantee you everybody desires to show it round as shortly as potential.”
Info from The Related Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
