Manchester City's crisis worsens after the derby defeat against United. Coach Guardiola takes the blame, Bernardo Silva criticizes the team.
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- Manchester City are experiencing the most difficult phase under successful coach Guardiola.
- In the city derby against Man United, things initially looked good for the hosts, but then the Citizens conceded two late goals.
- The coach and the players are suitably frustrated afterwards.
Until shortly before the end of the game, the Sky Blues' world still looked reasonably okay. At least victory in the prestigious derby was within reach for City's battered soul. But then midfielder Matheus Nunes makes two big mistakes within a short space of time.
First, his back pass is far too short, allowing Amad Diallo to intercept the ball. Nunes tries to make up for his mistake, runs back - and impetuously tackles Diallo in the penalty area. Bruno Fernandes converted the penalty to equalize the score at 1:1. 115 seconds later, United took the lead - Diallo got the better of the defense and slotted home to make it 2-1.
It is City's eighth defeat in eleven games in a row in all competitions, and they have only won one game. Man City have conceded 8 defeats in 47 days. The last 8 defeats before that came in 476 days.
The Citizens' defeat in the prestigious city duel leaves them in fifth place, nine points behind leaders Liverpool, who still have a game in hand. "I knew it was going to be a tough season," said coach Pep Guardiola. "But I didn't expect it to be as tough as it is at the moment."
Guardiola after derby defeat: "I'm not good enough"
The Spaniard, who led the club to six league titles and a Champions League win, is currently experiencing the worst sporting phase of his career as a top coach. He reacted to the setback in the derby with self-criticism: "I'm the boss, I'm the manager and I'm not good enough."
Bernardo Silva criticized: "We have to look at ourselves. We can't always say 'Oh, we're playing so well and we're just a bit unlucky'. No. It's about the decisions you make. Today we played like a U15 in the final minutes and paid the price for it," the Portuguese criticized on Sky Sports (via goal).
For him, the foul by compatriot Nunes that led to the penalty is a failure of the whole team: "If you're leading 1-0 in the 87th minute of a derby and the ball ends up with your goalkeeper and there's a penalty for them, if you make these stupid decisions when there's 3, 4 minutes left, then you deserve to pay for it."
Hojlund mocks Walker
The Sky Blues' crisis has also been the subject of much ridicule from the competition. The English serial champions are facing 115 charges for various financial breaches. In the worst-case scenario, the club, which is controlled by the United Arab Emirates, could even face forced relegation.
To make matters worse, out-of-form captain Kyle Walker pulled off a (poor) piece of acting against Man Utd striker Rasmus Højlund. The Dane teased the City defender's theatrical fall with a creative poem on Instagram after the game: "Manchester is red - violets are blue - what a brilliant performance - but the Oscar goes to ..."
City face Aston Villa on Saturday, with Haaland & Co. hosting Everton on Boxing Day. The last game of 2024 is away to Leicester City on December 29. If the slide continues, Guardiola may throw in the towel of his own accord - despite recently extending his contract until 2027.
