Pep Guardiola: Man City boss ‘unsackable’ says Jamie Carragher who believes they need midfield signings

Jamie Carragher believes Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is “inevitable” but believes he must “attack” the January transfer window to solve midfield problems following their dip in form.

Guardiola is in the worst spell of his managerial career after five consecutive defeats for the Premier League champions.

Asked whether the Spaniard, who signed a two-year contract extension last week, was unsackable, Carragher told Sky Sports News: “Yes, he is. Sir Alex Ferguson was unsacked. I think Jurgen Klopp was probably unsacked at Liverpool .

“It is impossible that Manchester City would ever sack Pep Guardiola even if he didn't win for two or three years.

“I always felt that at Liverpool, with Jürgen Klopp. If he stayed for two or three years without winning a trophy, we would all still want him to be our manager, and who would you ever get who is better than Pep Guardiola?”

Carra: City must 'attack' January transfer window

Saturday's 4-0 defeat to Tottenham ended City's 52-game unbeaten home run and was the heaviest home defeat in any competition since February 2003.

Asked if City are in crisis, Carragher replied: “No, I wouldn't use the word crisis. They are still second in the Premier League.”

“It's a terrible run. If it continues, I think we'll talk that way, but I still think Manchester City can have a successful season.

“But the problems they have in midfield, I'm not sure you can solve them with the personnel they have now. I think they should attack the transfer market in January but that's a problem for them because of the situation they find themselves in in the Premier League, and would that put players off coming in the middle of a season?

“The problems they have now in midfield are reminiscent of what Liverpool had a few years ago when they had Jordan Henderson and Fabinho in that role, and the legs are just gone.

“We did an analysis on Monday Night Football of how they finished the counter-attack, and that is what is happening now with Manchester City.”

The ex-Liverpool defender added: “I think the age profile of the midfield is a problem.

“Rodri has won the Ballon d'Or and he is the best in the world in that position. But his replacements – Gundogan well into his 30s and Kovacic who has turned 30 – don't have great pace.

“The other midfielders, more attacking midfielders, but Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, also well into the thirties. So that is a problem. Nobody can beat Father Time. As you get older, the sharpness, the extra bit… pace might get away from you, and in that central midfield they have a problem that, as we saw at Liverpool a few years ago, I don't think those players can solve.

“Maybe Pep can come up with something tactical, a little bit different, which I think he did this weekend, but it didn't quite work.

“I think it's new players he needs, rather than a new tactical blueprint.”

'If City lose at Liverpool, the title race is over'

Guardiola's side are eight points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool and take on Arne Slot's side at Anfield on Sunday, live on Sky Sports, meaning defeat to the Reds would leave them 11 points off the top.

Carragher believes this is a can't-lose match for Guardiola's side if they are to claim an unprecedented fifth consecutive Premier League title.

Asked whether City would drop out of the title race if they lost at Liverpool, Carragher said: “I think that would be the case, yes.

“It's not just the points difference, it's what we see from the team. I think what you see now in midfield at Manchester City, and it wasn't just the weekend [against Spurs]You saw it in Bournemouth, you saw it in Brighton.

“There are still 26 games to go and the way Manchester City are looking now, you can probably still see them losing four or five games out of 26, and I think that's a problem too.

“It's not just about the points difference, but also about the number of points they will achieve in the second half of the season with the profile they have in midfield.”

The 46-year-old added: “If you look at City now, I think Liverpool and certainly Arsenal should smell blood when it comes to 'We can win a title'.

“This is the team you can't win the title with. There has only been Liverpool that has really done it since Pep came into place in England, and this is a big opportunity for one of those clubs.”