Manchester City have faced extreme difficulties in recent weeks, falling to by far their worst run of results since Pep Guardiola took charge in the summer of 2016 as the Citizens have managed just one win in their last 11 matches across all competitions.
While the manager has plenty of credit in the bank from his superb domination of English football since joining Man City, questions are being raised over whether this may be the end of Guardiola’s time in England.
In this article, we take a look at exactly that, with five reasons why this could be the beginning of the end for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City:
Recent Underperformance
Manchester City’s recent underperformance can be attributed to a number of different factors, but Guardiola himself has stated that he is not good enough and has so far failed to find solutions.
Their run of just one win in 11 matches, with eight defeats in that time, is not only City’s worst run under Guardiola, but also the manager’s worst of his career, while it leaves Man City worryingly outside the top four and just a point inside the top 24 of the Champions League with a difficult fixture against PSG still to play.
If the poor results continue and Man City slip further down the table and exit the Champions League, then it would be hard to see the manager staying at the club.
Overreliance on Key Players
Man City have been known for their overwhelming quality of squad depth since Guardiola started building his team, with players able to rotate without the quality decreasing.
That does not seem to be the case this season though, with players such as Matheus Nunes, Savinho, Jeremy Doku and more failing to hit the heights of their predecessors such as Riyad Mahrez and others.
Other star players are also beginning to show signs of age, with Kyle Walker struggling in recent weeks, while Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan all have also struggled to hit their usual performance levels.
Of course their most important player is Rodri and the fact he’s out for the rest of the season acts not only as a huge blow, but shows how much they relied on him in the middle of the park, and how much he helped mask a brittle defence.
With all of these players seemingly needing to improve or be replaced, the January window may not prove enough opportunity for Guardiola to reinvigorate his squad, meaning his time may be done before he can rebuild in the summer.
Defensive Instability
Man City’s main weakness has always been their vulnerability to counterattacks, but they have largely been able to defend them thanks to their brilliant counter pressing when losing the ball and immense pace at the back thanks to Walker.
However, this season has seen team’s consistently able to break through the City midfield – one without Ballon D’or winner Rodri – and defence, a possible sign that Guardiola’s tactics are finally being exploited.
If the team is unable to improve their performance levels in the coming weeks, then further questions will be asked over whether Guardiola is able to change the tactical system that has brought his side so much success over recent years.
Pressure & Mental Fatigue
After years of dominance, City’s players may finally be showing signs of mental fatigue under Guardiola’s relentless intensity, or simply struggling to motivate themselves to win yet another trophy after already winning everything.
Gary Neville has stated that he experienced this with Sir Alex Ferguson’s dominant Manchester United, with them going through a three-year period of failing to win the league title before bouncing back with new found motivation.
If this is the case, then Guardiola himself may also be struggling with this, and that could certainly be the case given he has also stated that Man City will likely be his final club job – a sign that he is losing his motivation to manage?
Charges Looming
While Pep Guardiola has said he would not leave the club with the knowledge of their potential charges, with the decision set to be made apparent in the coming weeks and Man City potentially facing punishment, this may be looming over the club and their staff/players.
This could be yet another reason for their recent struggles, and it may be a sign of things to come for the club.
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