Unable to win any of its last six matches, Manchester City even signed a “negative” first in the Champions League on Tuesday in the draw against Feyenoord (3-3).
Anxious to leave a mark, a legacy in the history of football (even if he does not always recognize it), Pep Guardiola already displays a nice little collection of records with Manchester City, in the Premier League in particular, where his team has succeeded in the spring the unprecedented performance of winning a fourth championship in a row. That was six months ago, and since then, the dynamic has changed a lot.
Stuck in a crisis of results, the Skyblues once again signed a first, Tuesday evening in the Champions League. But for the worse. Against Feyenoord, Erling Haaland and his team became the first team in the history of the C1 to lead a match with three goals in the 75th minute of play… and not to win.
Pep Guardiola tore his face
Thanks to a collective stampede, and gross errors from Ederson, Manchester City – who were leading 3-0 – allowed the Dutch to come back to 3-3 on goals from Hadj Moussa (75th), Gimenez (82nd) and Hancko (89th).
It is also the first time in his coaching career, in 942 matches managed, that Pep Guardiola does not see his team win after leading by three goals. Enough to explain (perhaps) why the Catalan technician scratched his skull with his nails, ending the game with frightening scratches and even a cut to his nose, which he had to justify at a press conference.
A success at the Etihad would undoubtedly have spared the former Barça player some hassle, and did a lot of good for Manchester City, who before the match had five defeats in a row, in all competitions. With this sixth match in a row without success, Pep Guardiola thus equals his worst series since his arrival in England.
Between October 2 and 26, 2016, City had already experienced such a negative spiral (3 defeats, 3 draws), before suddenly restarting the machine by crushing West Brom (4-0). Problem: the Cityzens travel to Liverpool, current Premier League leader, on Sunday.
