But what is happening at Manchester City? The four-time reigning English champion completely collapsed on Saturday at home against Tottenham (4-0), a third defeat in three Premier League games which opens an avenue for Liverpool. The “Citizens” let slip a two-year long invincibility in the league at home at the Etihad, where they had not lost since November 2022 and the arrival of Brentford, i.e. 52 matches.
The great misfortunes of Manchester City (2nd, 23 points) are the delight of Liverpool (28 pts), reinforced in their leadership chair even before going to the bottom of Southampton on Sunday. Next weekend's showdown at Anfield between steamroller Liverpool and the oppressed champion will be worth gold, especially for Arne Slot's team if they extend their fantastic start to the season.
Five defeats in a row for Guardiola
Pep Guardiola has lost the recipe for success. Two days after announcing his contract extension, the Spanish coach suffered a fifth defeat in a row, an unprecedented series in his prolific career. In the standings, Man City is only one point ahead of a trio made up of Chelsea (3rd, 22 pts), Arsenal (4th) and Brighton (5th), all coming out of the international break with a victory on Saturday .
The ogre in the sky blue jersey appears weakened by the absences, notably those of Rúben Dias, Mateo Kovacic and Rodri, his totem midfielder, who came to present his Golden Ball to his supporters before kick-off. But that doesn't explain all his setbacks.
A defense at bay
Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol was guilty of too loose marking then of a missed restart on the first two goals, scored by James Maddison (13th, 20th) on his 28th birthday. The entire defense seemed overwhelmed and without reaction to the counterattacks concluded by Pedro Porro (53rd, 3-0) and Brennan Johnson (90th + 3, 4-0).
The “Spurs” leave Manchester with a prestigious victory, sixth place (19 pts) and renewed momentum, after two defeats in all competitions.
