Guardiola 'trusts players more than ever' despite record-breaking run

The champions were humbled at home to Spurs on Saturday. 

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts to a missed chance. Pic: Martin Rickett/PA Wire.

Man City 0 Tottenham 4 

Pep Guardiola has made an art form out of statistical supremacy in his time in English football, in his whole managerial career, collecting records and “firsts” with the regularity of a Manchester United managerial crisis.

Now, the boot is firmly on the other foot after a magnificent Tottenham display inflicted a fifth straight defeat on the Manchester City manager who, previously, had never lost more than three consecutive games.

Even by the standards of City’s turbulent history, this is almost unchartered territory for this century: the first ever four-goal defeat at the Etihad, the first five-match losing streak since Stuart Pearce presided over six consecutive, more than 18 years ago, and a biggest home loss since a 5-1 reverse to Arsenal at Maine Road in February 2003.

All this, while City have been battling with a debilitating injury list and Guardiola has signed a new two-year contract extension this week; one which was supposed to inject new enthusiasm and optimism into his club.

The outcome was exactly the opposite, of course, although if supporters of any club wanted to select a manager from world football whom they would wish to try and rescue their club, it is a safe bet Guardiola would figure high on any list.

And, while those celebrating City’s spectacular free fall might be advised to exercise caution for some time yet, a blip of a half-dozen games is hardly likely to ruin Guardiola’s legacy.

Still, how the Catalan responds to this challenge will be fascinating. So far, he has handled himself with confidence and apparent honesty, never ducking a difficult question and remaining steadfast in his belief systems, not to mention his faith in his squad.

Guardiola has never been one to talk about the next transfer window, and certainly not for his plans at the season’s end, and, for now, at least he remains insistent that the current squad - when everyone is fit - is more than adequate to return the club to their usual trophy-winning formula.

“I think the squad when all the squad is there is exceptional,” he said. “But the team is not really here. It is a little bit of a problem that we have in this period.

“But the team is really good and at the end of the season or whatever - of course, I'm here and I want to be - we will take the right decisions, what do you have to do?

“What I'm saying is that, I trust more than ever in these players. Being here, as a player, you have no doubts - you want to win, and they are desperate to do well. They are not “Ah, it doesn't matter.” Absolutely not.

“I see them every day, every training session, how they are focused today in the in the locker room, in the warmup, and after the game and how they feel it. They feel it. The players, they feel it. They want to do well. But sometimes you have to accept it sometimes, yes, we are not like we have been in years.” Not like they have been, ever, under Guardiola’s stewardship. Of course, injuries have taken their toll on City, not least in the loss of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri from his holding midfield role.

That absence, in isolation, could possibly have been countered by a coach as brilliant as Guardiola but those options have been drastically limited by injuries elsewhere - latterly to midfielder Mateo Kovacic who is out for up to a month.

In many ways, City are paying the penalty for Guardiola’s insistence on working with a squad which, numerically at least, is smaller than their main rivals’, and also his consistent failure to find an adequate back-up for Rodri to guard against just such an injury. Kalvin Phillips - remember him? - was meant to be the answer two summers ago but remains one of Guardiola’s rare, but spectacular, transfer failures.

There have also been some significant drop-offs in quality this season: veteran defender Kyle Walker leaps to mind as does, and it sounds farcical to say it given his productivity - the consistency of Erling Haaland who missed at least four good chances against Spurs. Two goals in his last seven league games is a most un-Haaland-like return.

For now, understandably, Guardiola is talking only in general terms but, as he contemplates the biggest challenge of his managerial career, he and City promise to be even more fascinating to observe than ever.

“There are a little, little things, started wrong from the beginning of the season and it was getting worse,” said Guardiola.

“A little worse in situations and I said no, the squad is really, really good, but unfortunately, now we have to face it. I cannot say anything apart from, with that situation what do you have to do? Keep going, my friends, keep going. keep going.” 

Man City (4-2-3-1): Ederson 6; Walker 5, Stones 5 (Ake 46, 5), Akanji 5, Gvardiol 5; Lewis 5 (Grealish 73, 5), Gundogan 6; Foden 6, Silva 6, Savinho 6 (De Bruyne 73, 5); Haaland 5. Substitutes (not used) McAtee, Nunes, O’Reilly, Ortega, Simpson-Pusey, Wright.

Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Vicario 7; Porro 7, Dragusin 7, Davies 8, Udogie 7 (Spence 90); Sarr 7 (Bergvall 89), Bissouma 7; Kulusevski 8, Maddison 9 (Werner 89), Son 7 (Johnson 63, 6); Solanke 7. Substitutes (not used) Forster, Gray, Hardy, Lankshear, Olusesi Referee: J Brooks 7