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Guardiola openly stated he did not foresee Manchester City’s stunning loss to Manchester United on Sunday, a match in which his team conceded twice in the final moments to fall 2-1, leaving him to ponder the unexpected collapse in form.
Manchester City have managed only a single victory in their last 11 matches across all competitions, with a disheartening tally of eight defeats, a stretch that has left the team reeling.
After an unrivaled streak of four Premier League titles, Manchester City’s defense of their crown now seems on the brink of collapse before Christmas. Trailing Liverpool by nine points, with a game in hand, City sit in fifth place, now on the outside looking in for Champions League qualification.
“I don’t have defence, I’m the boss, I’m the manager. I have to find a solution and I don’t find a solution,” said Guardiola.
“This is a big club, when you lose eight out of 11, something wrong is happening. What can I say? The schedule is tough, the injured players? No.
“I’m the boss, I’m the manager and I’m not good enough. It’s as simple as that.”
City’s most recent defeat stung deeply, not just because of the loss itself, but the way it unfolded. With a crucial victory within reach against their local rivals, thanks to Josko Gvardiol’s header in the first half, the English champions saw their aspirations shattered in a cruel twist of fate.
City’s collapse was triggered by Matheus Nunes’ errant pass, which allowed Amad Diallo to break free. In a desperate attempt to rectify his error, Nunes fouled Diallo, and Bruno Fernandes made no mistake from the penalty spot, equalizing in the 88th minute and leaving City with a bitter sense of what could have been.
Read also: Guardiola Confident Man City Will Bounce Back from Slump
Diallo then raced onto a simple long ball over the top to complete a remarkable turnaround and deepen a spiralling crisis for the club that has dominated English football over the past decade.
“I am sitting here in the press conference because of what we have done in the past,” added Guardiola.
“I knew that it would be a tough season. From the beginning, I said many times. Even when we were winning.
“But I didn’t expect it would be so hard, like it is right now.”
City midfielder Bernardo Silva was even more critical of his side’s malaise, comparing their mistakes in the final minutes to an under-15s team.
“At this level, a game or two is unlucky. We can’t say this is lucky or unlucky — it’s not about that,” said the Portugal international.
“If we make these stupid decisions with three or four minutes to go you deserve to pay for that. Today in the last minute we played like under-15s.”
