After a string of underwhelming performances and unexpected defeats, questions are mounting over Pep Guardiola's tenure at Manchester City. The once-unchallenged tactical genius seems to be running out of answers, as a worrying trend emerges: City's dominance is waning, and Guardiola's usual explanations appear increasingly hollow.
The latest setback, a humbling defeat at the hands of their bitter rivals, Manchester United, coupled with a surprising loss to Bodo/Glimt in Norway, has amplified the concerns. Unlike previous seasons where he could point to an aging squad or insufficient transfer activity, those excuses no longer hold water. City has invested heavily in new talent, and the team isn't plagued by widespread age-related decline.
Instead, Guardiola has cited injuries as a key factor, leading to overworked players and makeshift lineups. He himself used the word "fragile" to describe the team's current state. While injuries are undoubtedly a concern, the frequency with which they are occurring and the team's apparent inability to cope raise questions about squad depth, training regimes, and perhaps even tactical inflexibility. Defensively, the team has been fortunate to have Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal, who has prevented several losses from becoming embarrassing thrashings. The emergency signing of Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace highlights the lack of depth in the central defense, with injuries to key players like Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias exposing the vulnerability.
Guardiola's tactical decisions have also come under scrutiny. The deployment of Rayan Ait-Nouri, typically a left-back, at right-back in the Bodo/Glimt match raised eyebrows and seemed to stem from a lack of confidence in Rico Lewis's defensive capabilities. Such experiments, particularly in crucial matches, suggest a manager searching for solutions but perhaps overthinking the situation.
The current campaign has revealed a recalibrated version of Manchester City. After failing to win a single trophy in the 2024/2025 season, Guardiola was compelled to re-evaluate his tactics. The addition of players like Tijjani Reijnders indicates a shift away from constant ball retention and towards players who are more adept at carrying the ball through pressure. This rebalancing act, which prioritizes transitional threat alongside positional stability, has already impacted the rhythm of City's play.
It's not the first time Guardiola's explanations have been met with skepticism. In the past, he has attributed poor performances to everything from the quality of the ball to the arduous journey to London. While such comments might have been dismissed as quirky eccentricities during periods of success, they now appear as deflections from deeper problems.
The pressure is mounting on Guardiola to find a solution and quickly. While his legacy as one of the greatest managers of all time remains secure, his current struggles at Manchester City are raising legitimate questions about his ability to adapt and reinvent himself in the face of evolving challenges. The excuses are wearing thin, and the focus is now firmly on Guardiola to prove that he can still deliver the success that Manchester City's owners and fans demand.
