Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola Faces Tough Times

Pep Guardiola is determined to turn things around as Manchester City endures its worst run of results since 2018.

Following a 4-1 defeat to Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League, City has now lost three matches in a row—something that has happened only once during Guardiola’s tenure.

While Guardiola dismissed captain Bernardo Silva’s comments about the club being in a “dark place,” he acknowledged that words hold little weight after such a significant loss. However, he remains resolute in his approach.

“We knew this season would be challenging,” Guardiola stated. “I embrace it. I want to confront it and inspire my players. I won’t give up, that’s for sure.”

City’s injury woes have compounded their difficulties. Guardiola’s decision to give a first start to 19-year-old Jahmai Simpson-Pusey—just a day after his birthday and a week after his senior debut—highlights the challenges in central defense. Key players John Stones and Ruben Dias did not travel, and Nathan Ake remained on the bench. Rico Lewis filled in at right-back for the injured Kyle Walker, while Kevin De Bruyne only played the last six minutes. Defensive midfielder Rodri is out for the season.

Guardiola compared the current situation to his first season in 2016-17, when City struggled with consistency and sat fifth in January after a heavy defeat at Everton, before recovering to finish third with just one loss in their final 17 league games.

“It happened in my first year,” he noted. “Sometimes it’s just how football goes. We must accept it. Bad moments occur, but we will confront reality and improve.”

Despite the setbacks, City remains in good standing in both the Premier League and Champions League. They currently sit second in the league, just two points behind leaders Liverpool, and are positioned to advance in Europe, though they risk dropping out of the top eight after the next round of fixtures.

Silva expressed the difficulty of understanding the team’s current form, saying, “In seven and a half seasons, I don’t remember losing three in a row. We’re in a tough spot, and things seem to be going against us. The silver lining is that despite the losses, we are still in strong positions in both the Premier League and Champions League, but we need to improve.”

As City prepares for another challenging away match against Brighton on Saturday, Guardiola hopes to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat. He is also looking forward to facing new Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim in upcoming Premier League clashes.

“Yes, we’ll meet him twice in the league and possibly in the FA Cup,” he said, “though not in the Champions League.”