Guardiola: City are not special, the past means nothing

The Manchester City manager finds himself in unchartered territory after four successive defeats

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts during the Premier League match at American Express Stadium, Brighton. Photo: Adam Davy/PA Wire. 

Premier League: Brighton 2 Manchester City 1 

BY his own admission, the international break has come at exactly the right time for Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City players.

The manager finds himself in unchartered territory after four successive defeats - the first time he has experienced such a run - and now faces the challenge of turning that around with a squad depleted by injuries and showing signs of fatigue. Things definitely aren’t clicking for the four-in-a-row Premier League champions and it is now up to Guardiola to find answers.

The Catalan was keen to highlight positives after the loss at the Amex Stadium as well as pointing out that of those four losses, only two have been in the Premier League. Liverpool opened up a five-point gap between the two sides on Saturday evening but City have been here before, most notably overturning a eight-point deficit to Arsenal after a trademark surge in the second half of the season.

Guardiola, though, was also quick to point out that previous success counts for little and the crop of injuries to key players makes this season different. The prospect of getting central defenders Ruben Dias, John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake back after the break will clearly be key while Kyle Walker is well short of full fitness, as painfully demonstrated by Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma.

A more familiar backline will be welcome but the biggest problem Guardiola faces is not so easily fixed. The absence of Rodri from the holding midfield role was evident but the Spain midfielder will not return this season after suffering a knee ligament injury.

While there were signs during a one-sided first half, marked by Erling Haaland’s 75th Premier League goal, that suggested this run of form will prove no more than a blip, the second half told a different story. Guardiola has not often seen his side cut through quite as easily as Brighton managed, particularly following the introduction of Joao Pedro and Matt O’Riley. The substitutes both scored inside five second half minutes late on to secure victory for Fabian Hurzeler’s side.

Guardiola pointed out it is unrealistic to expect his side to win the Premier League every year but the manager’s winning mentality is hard-wired and this period will only intensify his determination to turn things around.

“I was a football player, and many times I lost a lot of games, four in a row, five in a row, six in a row,” he said. “I never expect different for the fact we won in the past, that we are a special. People can believe that, but it's not true. You can lose four games in different competitions.

“We are dealing at the top and yeah, right now we are not in our best. It's obvious, but still it is around November, so hopefully come back and step by step, do it, because the league has the feeling that every game will be tough for all the teams. We have to recover our best. And we will see.” 

The air of invincibility that accompanied City has been lost for now. Even the introduction of Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva had little impact on the direction of the game. For Walker, responsibility for reviving the club’s campaign extends beyond the manager. “This is the time where I want to see the players,” said the right-back. “This is the time where real characters come through. It's all good for the last eight years where we've been winning everything and dominating games and you've got a cigar out when you're playing, but now it's tough.

"This is the time where us as players have to pull the inexperienced ones, or those that haven't been at the club for a while, and show them the foundations of this club. Because we built that over the last eight years and this will get us through this patch.” 

BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION (4-3-3): Verbruggen 7; Veltman 6, Van Hecke 7, Igor 6, Estupinan 7; Adingra 5 (Gruda 66, 6), Hinshelwood 7 (O’Riley 57, 7), Ayari 6 (Baleba 46, 9); Rutter 6 (Joao Pedro 66, 8), Welbeck 6, Mitoma 7 (Moder 90, 6).

Subs not used: Steele, Enciso, Wieffer, Ferguson.

MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3): Ederson 7; Walker 5, Simpson-Pusey 6, Gvardiol 6, Lewis 7; Kovacic 7, Gundogan 6 (Silva 72, 6), Nunes 6; Savinho 7 (De Bruyne 73, 6), Haaland 8, Foden 7.

Subs not used: Ortega, Ake, Akanji, Wright, O’Reilly, McAtee, Wilson-Esbrand.

Referee: Sam Barrott 6