Manchester City are in crisis after five defeats in a row. Coach Pep Guardiola is quick to identify the problem. However, it has not been solved quickly. On the contrary: the next heavyweights are already waiting.
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- Manchester City suffered their fifth defeat in a row at the weekend.
- After the 4-0 defeat to Tottenham, the Citizens have had to listen to a lot of criticism in England.
- For coach Pep Guardiola, the many injuries are to blame for the results crisis.
An unusual scene on Saturday evening at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester: in the 92nd minute, Manuel Akanji throws up his arms in anger. The Swiss has had enough. He lets an inaccurate pass from Jack Grealish go through, believing it was meant for team-mate Kyle Walker. But the ball falls at the feet of opponent Timo Werner - City promptly run into a counter-attack and concede 0:4 shortly before the end.
The defeat against Spurs was City's fifth defeat in a row. The last time this happened to the Citizens was in 2006, and never before in Pep Guardiola's illustrious coaching career. The Sky Blues' otherwise smooth-running machinery has come to a standstill. And not at a good time. They face Feyenoord Rotterdam in the Champions League and next up in the league is a clash against leaders Liverpool. In both competitions, City can hardly afford to drop any more points.
Injury crisis in the defense
But what is going wrong? According to England legend Alan Shearer, pretty much everything. In his analysis after the 4-0 defeat to Spurs on the BBC, it was the defensive players in particular who got the worst of it. "It's not right at all in defense," raged the Premier League record goalscorer. Manuel Akanji is also the scapegoat: "Why is he letting the ball through, what on earth is he doing?"
Fortunately for the Swiss: Coach Guardiola is holding back on criticizing his own players. At least in public. For the Spaniard, it is clear that the many injuries are to blame for the lack of results.
"Give me my players back and you'll see," the 53-year-old is quoted as saying in an interview with Dutch TV station "Ziggo". "It's difficult when you have to play without four central defenders, two defensive midfielders and three wingers. Just give me the players back. Then you'll see Man City."
Qualification for the round of 16 in jeopardy?
The injury to Ballon d'Or winner Rodri is particularly painful for the English side. The Spaniard is out until the end of the season with a torn cruciate ligament. The Citizens have also recently been without Mateo Kovacic, their defensive partner in midfield, who will be out for around a month. Added to this is a muscle injury to defender Rúben Dias.
These significant absences will have a major impact on the team's performance. City, who are usually so dominant, have conceded fourteen goals in their last five games, scoring just four. Jeremy Doku, an important player up front, is also missing. In addition, Phil Foden and Kevin de Bruyne do not appear to be able to repeat their performances from previous years. One was ill for a long time, the other was also injured.
Guardiola, who only last week extended his contract by a further year despite five defeats in a row, is nevertheless combative. "If you fall down, you just have to get up again. It's the same as in life, whether at home or at football. I don't know anything else."
The Citizens will have their first chance to get back on their feet on Tuesday evening in the Champions League match against Feyenoord (Champions League Countdown live on blue Sport from 20:00). Should they suffer their sixth defeat in a row against the Dutch side, City risk missing out on direct qualification for the round of 16 and would even have to fight for a place in the top 24 in the remaining games.