Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola conceded that his team has never faced such a challenging situation in his eight-year tenure after Tottenham's 4-0 victory at the Etihad on Saturday. This defeat marked City's fifth consecutive loss across all competitions, a streak unprecedented under Guardiola's leadership since his arrival in Manchester in 2016.
James Maddison celebrated his 28th birthday with two first-half goals, followed by Pedro Porro scoring against his former club, and Brennan Johnson completing the rout. This loss not only ended City's 52-game unbeaten home run but also left them trailing Premier League leaders Liverpool by five points, with Liverpool set to face bottom club Southampton on Sunday.
City's next fixture is against Liverpool, and Guardiola acknowledged that their title defense could realistically end if they lose and fall 11 points behind the Reds. Despite signing a two-year contract extension until 2027, the optimism that this would turn City's fortunes around quickly faded.
Guardiola stated, "In eight years we have never lived this kind of situation. Now we have to live it and break it by winning the next games, especially the next one. Now we see things in one way, maybe in a few weeks we see it differently." City's bright start quickly dimmed when Maddison scored from Tottenham's first real attack, leading to a collapse.
Guardiola recognized that his team is currently in a negative mental spiral after a series of unexpected defeats. "We are a bit fragile right now, that is obvious for the fact that we struggled today to score goals. And after when they arrived, they scored," he added. "We are playing a little bit in our thoughts, with a little bit of negativity, but it's normal. Football is a sense of mood. And when you win a lot, there's continuity that gives us self-confidence that you can do it." When you lose three games in a row in the Premier League, that situation is always a little bit there."
City defender Kyle Walker emphasized the importance of returning to basics and securing a clean sheet. "If we concede four goals at home we have to score five. It's not just the back four, five or six -- it's all 11 players on the pitch," he said. Despite a 4-1 defeat to Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League, City remains well-positioned to advance to the knockout stages.
Walker added, "The best way to turn this round is on Tuesday. Hopefully the mojo comes back and we see the normal City from the past eight seasons." However, even in their best moments, City has struggled at Anfield, where they have not won in front of a crowd since 2003.
Walker acknowledged the challenge ahead, saying, "It's a great game to turn it around and take three points from the team who sit above you. But we can't put in a performance like that or we'll get walked over."
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