'The wheels have come off': Manchester City crisis is now Pep Guardiola's biggest job with Liverpool licking their lips
Former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy insists the wheels have come off for Manchester City after their three-goal implosion on Tuesday night.
pep guardiolaThe team seemed to be in control when Erling Haaland scored in the 53rd minute to put City up 3-0 at home against Feyenoord in the Champions League.
But in the space of 14 astonishing minutes, Feyenoord equalized thanks to David Hancko in the 89th minute, sending the Etihad into stunned silence out of the pocket of the traveling fans.
Although the result 3-3 breaking a five-game losing streak for City in all competitions, blowing a three-goal lead would have felt like a defeat for Guardiola and his troops.
Reacting on talkSPORT's Sports Bar immediately after the match, Cundy and the former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O'Hara I couldn't believe the capitulation that had just occurred.
“That sucks,” O'Hara said.
“3-0 up? What are they doing?”
Cundy added: “Tonight, the wheels came off.
“Look, Spurs were brilliant at the weekend. City were terrible, they lost in the Premier League.
“3-0 against Feyenoord with 15 minutes left? And you draw 3-3? The wheels have come off. That's all.”
Some fans will point out that City look like a team completely (and not for the better) without the Ballon d'Or winner. Rodri in their midfield.
However, since Rodri he tore his anterior cruciate ligament Against Arsenal in September, O'Hara no longer had that excuse.
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“It can't just be about Rodri,” O'Hara said.
“We're over that now. There's something happening at Manchester City that no one seems to have the answer to.”
Cundy then gave a brutal dissection of what had gone wrong for City, with many warning signs presenting themselves during a 4-0 defeat to Tottenham last Sunday.
“They're very open,” Cundy said.
“His press does not have a united thought. Pep has signed a new agreementwhich is good for City.
“But right now, this will probably be their biggest job in management to turn this around. They're a mess.
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“I'm watching Manchester City against you (Tottenham) at the weekend. I'm watching Spurs hit the ball deep in their own half. Not only that, Spurs come out, there's an overload, three against one, in the field. right side. How come that never happens?
“Spurs were magnificent. City were terrible. Looking at tonight, they don't look comfortable being 3-0 up. How can that happen?
“The wheels came off tonight, officially. The Spurs stumbled over the weekend. Tonight, the wheels came off.”
O'Hara noted that with City's terrible form, “Liverpool must be licking their lips.”
As things stand, Premier League leaders Liverpool have an eight-point lead over second-placed City.
That gap could easily become 11 when Arne Slot's side host a battered and bruised City side at Anfield on Sunday.
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If Liverpool can pick up three points in that contest, it could lead some to boldly declare that City have too much ground to reach the Premier League title.
If City lose to Liverpool on Sunday, they could finish the weekend in fifth place, with Chelsea, Arsenal and Brighton all on 22 points.
It's safe to say there will be a lot of soul-searching between Guardiola and City's stars ahead of that match as they look to snap a six-game winless streak.
