Football changes fast. The once-unstoppable Manchester City now finds itself struggling. Last month, after a dominant performance against Newcastle United, Pep Guardiola believed his team was back on track. However, reality has set in quickly. Now, he concedes: “You won’t see the old Manchester City this season.”
A Season of Inconsistenc
City started their campaign strongly, winning seven of their first nine Premier League matches, with two draws. But then, things fell apart as they lost four consecutive games.
Though they occasionally showed glimpses of a resurgence, they failed to sustain momentum. Before Wednesday’s match, City lost two of their last three league games—against Arsenal and Liverpool. Sandwiched between those defeats was a 4-0 thrashing of Newcastle, where they briefly looked like their old selves. After that win, Guardiola confidently declared, “Manchester City is back.”
But that resurgence was short-lived. Soon after, City was eliminated from the Champions League after back-to-back defeats to Real Madrid in the knockout stage.
A Narrow Win Brings Temporary Relief
At the end of the month, City finally found some relief, beating Tottenham 1-0 thanks to Erling Haaland’s 12th-minute strike.
While the win was important, City’s performance highlighted their inconsistency. They dominated the first half, creating multiple chances to kill the game early, but failed to capitalize. In the second half, Tottenham pushed them back, exposing City’s vulnerabilities.
Guardiola Acknowledges the Reality
In the post-match press conference, Guardiola was asked if City’s first-half performance was a glimpse of their old dominance. His response was clear:
“That won’t happen this season. You won’t see the old Manchester City. That team was simply too good. But we will come back.”
He emphasized City’s transition phase, saying:
“We have a young squad, a very young squad. Our attacking trio is the future. When Rodri returns, Nico González will be a valuable asset. And of course, Abdoukhodir Kuzanov—you saw him today. Josko Gvardiol is also young, so there’s potential. But we still have experienced players like Bernardo Silva, İlkay Gündoğan, and Kevin De Bruyne—they remain crucial. The key now is time.”
City’s Diminishing Title Hopes
With the win against Tottenham, City closed the gap with third-placed Nottingham Forest, who have 48 points, just one ahead of City (47). However, their title challenge is long over.
Liverpool sits atop the table, 20 points ahead of City, having played one more game. Realistically, City’s only remaining hope for silverware this season is the FA Cup.
But Guardiola isn’t focusing on trophies right now. Instead, he is prioritizing rebuilding his squad for the future, trusting in City’s young talents to lead the way in the coming years.
“This season, we’ve seen our young and new players… These are the players who will lead the team in the years to come.”
