Gary Neville delivered a damning verdict on Manchester City’s dreadful run of form by declaring them as bad as he has seen them since Pep Guardiola’s first season in charge.
The Premier League title holders extended Guardiola’s worst-ever losing streak to five games with a 4-0 home humbling at the hands of Tottenham – which was also their biggest home league defeat of his eight-year tenure.
With that defeat keeping them five points off the top of the table, potentially eight after Liverpool take on Southampton on Super SundayNeville compared City’s demise to the side which finished 15 points off the top in Guardiola’s first season in charge – the only year they have finished outside the top two during his tenure.
“We’ve seen City lose the odd game here, but we’ve very rarely seen them outplayed in every department, but that’s what we’re watching,” he said.
“They look well short. As short as I’ve seen them since Pep’s first season. I’ve not seen them as bad as this, how they’ve been in the last few weeks.”
City came into Saturday’s game having been beaten 2-1 at Brighton and thrashed 4-1 at Sporting in their last two games before the November internationals, with their return to domestic Football following a two-week break unable to halt their losing streak.
“He will have wanted that international break to come, thinking it would be a reset moment,” Neville said. “But now here, it further entrenches the opinion this is a City side currently in decline.
“It seems madness, when you think about what they’ve achieved. They’re easy to play against and teams are encouraged when playing them. The vulnerabilities are clear for everyone to see.”
In mitigation, City have been hit hard by injuries this season, with talisman Rodri sidelined due to a long-term knee injury.
But as the full-time whistle sounded at a shell-shocked Etihad, Neville starkly warned: “This is more than just Rodri, far more.”
‘Walker is struggling – this isn’t just Rodri’
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Brennan Johnson adds another as Manchester City are embarrassed!
City’s woes were summed up by the manner of their dismal defending for Tottenham’s late fourth, when Timo Werner breezed beyond Kyle Walker down the flank before crossing low for Brennan Johnson to tap in from a couple of yards out.
With Walker’s patchy form this season, and his difficulties at Euro 2024 where he was partly responsible for Spain’s opener in the final, Neville said the 34-year-old is “struggling” to get anywhere near his best form.
“Goodness gracious me,” he said. “You don’t see that very often, but we’ve seen it a few times in the last couple of weeks.
“Vinicius Junior, Mbappe, he’s handled them all, Walker, but he’s struggling at this moment in time.”
Man City’s next six fixtures
- November 26: Feyenoord (h) – Champions League
- December 1: Liverpool (a) – live on Sky Sports
- December 4: Nottm Forest (h)
- December 7: Crystal Palace (a)
- December 11: Juventus (a) – Champions League
- December 15: Man Utd (h) – live on Sky Sports
