Manchester City are uncharacteristically, and unenviably, stuck in a rut at present after having lost many of their players to injury.
City’s winless run was extended to six matches on Tuesday after they capitulated to surrender a commanding 3-0 lead at home to Feyenoord. Erling Haaland’s early brace and one from Ilkay Gundogan had them in control before they imploded and conceded three goals in the final 15 minutes to draw 3-3 in the Champions League.
In a match riddled with worrying performances, like the usually rock steady and reliable Ederson making silly mistakes and players neither concentrating nor tracking back to defend. City now have to brace and prepare themselves to face a crunch match against in-form title rivals Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, with their opponents in completely contrasting form after their impressive win over Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Guardiola is obviously cognizant that he has a lot to address in the coming days, knowing a win for Liverpool this weekend would extend their lead over City at the top of the Premier League to 11 points. City have been hampered by injuries recently and former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy believes their lack of physicality is a bigger problem than any mental one.
Addressing the situation on Champions League highlights program whether City’s confidence had gone, Murphy replied: “It can happen to a team. It starts with a few individuals and spreads a little bit. But I do think their bigger problem is not so much the confidence, it is the physicality of them. They don’t have that same tenacity that we talk about them in the press, that energy, that relentlessness that we’ve seen City teams have.
“And I’m not saying it’s all about their lack of effort. It’s more that some of them aren’t physically fit because they’ve been out a while and some of them have just switched off. And when you’re not physically at it, especially at elite football, you get found out.”
Another former Premier League midfielder, Thomas Hitzlsperger, thinks that Guardiola’s playing style is not helping things. “That’s been Pep’s game throughout: press high up, win the ball back and then have control,” he said.
“I don’t think they’re capable of changing their style completely. I think this is the biggest task he’s got right now. It’s their principle – stay high up and reduce the space for them [the opposition], just make sure you win the ball back. In this game they’re 3-0 up and thinking ‘tonight’s the night when we change that bad run of form and results’, but again it’s not happening.