The Manchester City dressing room would have been in a state of shock after Sporting CP took them apart in their statement 4-1 victory in the Champions League.
Pep Guardiola ruled out managing Brazil and revealed that “more than ever”, he intends to mastermind City back to playing at the elite standards they have set over the years.
Bernardo Silva claimed Manchester City are in a “dark place” and admitted that in the second half, the Sky Blues gave Sporting “too many opportunities” as his side conceded three goals in the space of 35 minutes.
Pep Guardiola revealed his “regret” against Sporting was that his City side conceded the third and fourth goal but disagreed with the Portuguese international’s assessment as he felt they played well.
Manchester City have dropped down from third to sixth place in the Champions League table.
With more fixtures set to take place on Wednesday night, Guardiola’s side could sink even further in the league table of Europe’s elite competition.
How Man City reacted when they lost three consecutive games the last time in 2018
Manchester City have lost three successive games for the first time since April 2018 — succumbing to defeats against teams like Tottenham Hotspur, AFC Bournemouth and Sporting — games they were expected to win.
A hat-trick from Viktor Gyokeres as well as a well-taken finish from Maximiliano Araujo meant City have suffered such a slump in form for the first time in six years.
Back in April 2018, Manchester City’s first defeat was in the first leg of the Round of 16 in the Champions League against Liverpool, who won 3-0 at Anfield.
Soon after, City had the chance to redeem themselves in the best possible way by sealing their first league title at Old Trafford.
Despite Ilkay Gundogan and Vincent Kompany handing the visitors a 2-0 lead at half-time, a quick-fire brace from Paul Pogba followed by a winner from Chris Smalling meant they were on the receiving end of an incredible comeback from Manchester United.
In the second leg of their Round of 16 clash against Liverpool, Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring within two minutes but goals from Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah meant the Reds won 5-1 on aggregate.
However, Manchester City went on to win the league title by becoming the first team in the history of English football to accrue 100 points in a season while also lifting the Carabao Cup trophy in the same campaign.
Man City’s next five games after Sporting defeat
Looking ahead, Manchester City will be intending to right their wrongs.
However, City’s fixture list is far from easy to say the least.
Up next, Manchester City travel to the Amex Stadium to face a Brighton & Hove Albion side who pushed Liverpool to the limit in both the Carabao Cup and the Premier League in their respective 3-2 and 2-1 defeats.
Fabian Huerzeler’s side are sitting in eighth place in the league table and have already beaten teams like Manchester United, Tottenham and Newcastle while also restricting Arsenal to a draw.
After the international break, back-to-back clashes against league leaders Spurs and league leaders Liverpool will be massive tests for an out-of-sorts Manchester City side.
After heading to Anfield, the third-placed Nottingham Forest will make their way to the Etihad Stadium.
Lastly, a trip to Selhurst Park will also be a challenge for the Premier League winners, having won thrice and drawn twice in their last five visits against Crystal Palace.
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