Pep Guardiola said his “wheels have come off” after “fragile” Man City left him with a cut face
Pep Guardiola has been told that Manchester City's “wheels have come off” after their three-goal implosion on Tuesday night.
That's according to talkSPORT presenter Jason Cundy, who insisted City are enduring a complete crisis following their Champions League setback.
GuardiolaThe team seemed to be in control when Erling Haaland scored in the 53rd minute to put City 3-0 at home against Feyenoord.
But in the space of 14 astonishing minutes, Arne Slot's former team equalized to silence the majority of the stunned Etihad crowd.
Although the result 3-3 breaking a run of five consecutive defeats for City in all competitions, David Hancko's 89th-minute goal will 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 the Spaniard's absence as an 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 Slot's current team hosts a battered and bruised City side at Anfield on Sunday.
Clearly frustrated by his current form, Guardiola arrived for his post-match interview with painful red scratches all over his head.
When asked at his press conference what caused the scratches, he responded: “Yes, my finger here. My nail. I want to hurt myself.”
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Things could now get worse for Guardiola on Sunday if Liverpool manage to pick up three points at Anfield.
Another defeat could lead some to boldly declare that City have too much ground to catch up in the Premier League title race.
If City lose to Liverpool, they could finish the weekend in fifth place, with Chelsea, Arsenal and Brighton all on 22 points.
Guardiola said: “It will be a difficult season for us and we have to accept it. We've lost a lot of games lately, we're fragile and of course we needed a win.
“We were playing at a good level but the first time something happened we had problems. I don't know if it's mental.
“The first goal can't happen and neither can the second. After that we forget what happens.
“Three episodes did not give us what we needed to win for many reasons, not just because of the classification or getting the points to advance. Other reasons. It is what it is, difficult to digest right now.”
