Tottenham’s flying full back Pedro Porro will be a handful for shaky Man City

Losing is an occupational hazard when you are most clubs but not Manchester City.

For them it is almost an annual event, so rare is it that they lose one football match, let alone four in a row.

At Arsenal we have gone through long periods without losing. You play in a very proud way, with the feeling of being unbeatable, giving energy and embracing everyone.

Still, I'd be lying if I said we weren't wondering what would happen if and when that bubble burst. Arsene Wenger even asked me how I thought the team would react if we were beaten.

Pep Guardiola faced the same problem last month as City became the talk of the Premier League for all the wrong reasons.

Who knows, the noise surrounding Guardiola's departure was worrying during the charges, but all that uncertainty disappeared overnight when he signed a new two-year contract. What they need now is to follow that up with a home win over Tottenham.

Looking at the courageous way in which Ange Postecoglou's team played, questions were asked of City on Saturday evening.

What Tottenham will offer is more balls into the penalty area than anyone else. No one in the Premier League has produced a greater number of crosses this season than Spurs' 275. Pedro Porro was responsible for 76 of these, as the full-back flies down the right wing to allow Brennan Johnson to cut inside.

If you look back at the goals City have conceded, this could be a problem as there are some serious issues that need to be resolved.

Take Fulham's second goal at the Etihad last month, for example. The visitors move the ball back and forth at the back, but then one punching pass takes them through two lines of City's defensive shield into a space behind their Rodri-less midfield. Fulham work the ball wide to Reiss Nelson on the right, without any pressure on them. The cross is from Nelson and the City marking does not exist.

John Stones will know he should have been close to Rodrigo Muniz as the Fulham forward is on his own and has time to control and finish the ball.

City weathered that late storm to maintain a 3-2 lead, but they also conceded goals through crosses to Arsenal, Wolves and Bournemouth.

City have suffered disruptions in defense, with Guardiola fielding six different back fours in 11 Premier League games.

That said, what is equally worrying for Guardiola is how City have conceded in spurts in their last few defeats: two goals in five minutes against Brighton and three in eleven against Sporting.

Lisbon – perhaps indicating a lack of leadership and character.

When you concede, you have to come together as a group and not allow your opponents to gain confidence and energy by getting that first goal.

It would be ridiculous for anyone to write off City.

They are still in all the battles they have won before, for the Premier League, for the Champions League and so on. This can be solved, of course.

Guardiola is the football professor in modern football. He stands with his back against the wall as he senses others celebrating their four-defeat slump. But you can be sure he'll come out swinging like the serial winner that he is.