Analysis

Gary Neville: Man City worst I've seen since Pep Guardiola's first season after fifth consecutive defeat

Gary Neville on Manchester City's woes after dismal 4-0 home defeat by Tottenham: "We've seen City lose the odd game here, but we've very rarely seen them outplayed in every department, but that's what we're watching"; it was a fifth successive loss for Pep Guardiola's side

Gary Neville

Football Expert @GNev2

Sunday 24 November 2024 14:11, UK

Gary Neville delivered a damning verdict on Manchester City's dreadful run of form by declaring them as bad as he has seen them since Pep Guardiola's first season in charge.

The Premier League title holders extended Guardiola's worst-ever losing streak to five games with a 4-0 home humbling at the hands of Tottenham - which was also their biggest home league defeat of his eight-year tenure.

With that defeat keeping them five points off the top of the table, potentially eight after Liverpool take on Southampton on Super Sunday, Neville compared City's demise to the side which finished 15 points off the top in Guardiola's first season in charge - the only year they have finished outside the top two during his tenure.

"We've seen City lose the odd game here, but we've very rarely seen them outplayed in every department, but that's what we're watching," he said.

"They look well short. As short as I've seen them since Pep's first season. I've not seen them as bad as this, how they've been in the last few weeks."

City came into Saturday's game having been beaten 2-1 at Brighton and thrashed 4-1 at Sporting in their last two games before the November internationals, with their return to domestic football following a two-week break unable to halt their losing streak.

"He will have wanted that international break to come, thinking it would be a reset moment," Neville said. "But now here, it further entrenches the opinion this is a City side currently in decline.

"It seems madness, when you think about what they've achieved. They're easy to play against and teams are encouraged when playing them. The vulnerabilities are clear for everyone to see."

In mitigation, City have been hit hard by injuries this season, with talisman Rodri sidelined due to a long-term knee injury.

But as the full-time whistle sounded at a shell-shocked Etihad, Neville starkly warned: "This is more than just Rodri, far more."

In 106 games since February 2023, Man City's defeat ratio when Rodri was in the team is just 2.6 per cent. When he is absent, the percentage rises to 36.

'Walker is struggling - this isn't just Rodri'

City's woes were summed up by the manner of their dismal defending for Tottenham's late fourth, when Timo Werner breezed beyond Kyle Walker down the flank before crossing low for Brennan Johnson to tap in from a couple of yards out.

With Walker's patchy form this season, and his difficulties at Euro 2024 where he was partly responsible for Spain's opener in the final, Neville said the 34-year-old is "struggling" to get anywhere near his best form.

"Goodness gracious me," he said. "You don't see that very often, but we've seen it a few times in the last couple of weeks.

"Vinicius Junior, Mbappe, he's handled them all, Walker, but he's struggling at this moment in time."

Speaking on Sky Sports after the game, Jamie Redknapp agreed, and pointed to a number of other issues within the City camp.

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After a 4-0 loss to Tottenham, former Manchester City defender Micah Richards has his say on their poor form after a fifth loss in a row and believes the issues lie deeper than just missing Ballon d'Or winner Rodri in midfield

"You've got [Mateo] Kovacic, Ruben Dias who's a leader of men in the back four," he said, pointing to the hosts' absentees. "Kevin De Bruyne's in and out of the team. Losing [Julian] Alvarez is a massive blow, when you can bring him on.

"They're off it, they're short. Things aren't quite clicking; [Ilkay] Gundogan couldn't get near anybody, the focus and balance wasn't right with Rico Lewis, Bernardo Silva and they didn't have enough energy to get around them.

"Once Tottenham scored, the confidence came. James Maddison started to get on the ball. You could see his tail was up, that's the sort of player he is.

"The fact you can't score a goal against the two centre-backs of Ben Davies and Radu Dragusin, that's the biggest worry - they didn't have that clinical edge."

'Winning the league would be Pep's greatest achievement'

With unwanted records tumbling for City and Guardiola, who have both been accustomed to making history for more positive reasons across his eight-year tenure, Neville pinpointed where things have gone wrong for the club this season.

On the Gary Neville Podcast, Neville said winning the Premier League this season would represent Guardiola's greatest achievement - as defeat to Liverpool next weekend, live on Sky Sports, would potentially leave them 11 points off the top.

"When you're on the decline - and I hate to use the word decline, but it does feel like it - it's a group of players with a number of things [going wrong].

"The idea of growing slightly old together, the idea of playing the volume of games together, the physical and mental demands of that, and the third thing is how many times you can keep going.

"I played for a manager and a club who kept going, but there were times when you just fall over. You've won the league three times on the bounce, twice, you've done doubles, you've won trebles, and you just can't go any further.

"Your shoulders just drop a bit, and it looks like that's the kind of thing that's happened here.

"It's a group of players who have run a million miles. They've been sensational. But they've become a little bit punch-drunk. Leggy, lacking in energy, they've lost players and a couple of vital players out through injury.

"It's a big game next week, Liverpool vs City, and there's only a few points in it, there's a long way to go, but it feels like today, if Man City were to win the title this season, I think it would be Pep's greatest Premier League."

Man City's next six fixtures

November 26: Feyenoord (h) - Champions League
December 1: Liverpool (a) - live on Sky Sports
December 4: Nottm Forest (h)
December 7: Crystal Palace (a)
December 11: Juventus (a) - Champions League
December 15: Man Utd (h) - live on Sky Sports

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