Pep Guardiola acknowledges City ‘are fragile’ after fifth straight defeat

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola acknowledged he is in new territory after Saturday's 4-0 home defeat to Tottenham, the fifth time he has taken the lead.

But despite that, he had no intention of pressing the panic button, with his side second in the Premier League and five points behind leaders Liverpool.

“We are vulnerable at the moment, we couldn't defend well. We started well, struggled to score and then conceded. Then the situation is more difficult,” he told Sky Sports after the match.

“I have been here as a player, maybe not as a manager, we lost the first three games at Barcelona. [In the] If the results have been there for the past eight years, it would be a mistake to change the approach.

“There are no fairy tales in life and sports, sometimes you have to go through these situations. You have to accept it. You can't blame each other, stay together, keep doing what we have been doing.”

“Run away? Absolutely not, we need to stand up more than ever. What will define us is that when we fail, we stand up and face it.”

Man City 2023-24 vs 2024-25 in defense (non-penalty shots faced). pic.twitter.com/S7wF4K1rgS

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) November 23, 2024

Guardiola is by far Manchester City's most successful manager of all time. He won 18 major trophies at the club, including each of the last four Premier League titles.

His side visit leaders Liverpool next week and could be eight points behind them by kick-off, with Arne Slot's side playing a day after City this weekend.

“I don't know what will happen this season, but I won't believe in these players for a second,” Guardiola said.

“There is no team in the world that can sustain success for eight, nine, 10 years in a row.

“Of course not everything is fine, but what we are trying to do is analyze it, let's go to the next match and see what happens.”

Speaking about his players' individual performances, Guardiola lamented the fitness issues his side have faced in recent weeks.

“The chances were there. When they created the chances, the build-up, we could no longer handle the matches as normal. Now we are having a bit of a hard time,” he told BBC Sport.

“That can't happen. When you play against top teams, we can give away opportunities, but that's part of the process. In our situation it's a bit more difficult.”

“The players came back late [from international duty]. There were a few reasons why we couldn't be consistent.

“Of course Rodri is important, but we knew that for months. But [John] Stones can only play for 45 minutes, Jack [Grealish] has been injured many times, Kevin [de Bruyne] two months and five months.

“We have to come back and refresh our minds. The season is so long that a lot of things can happen.”