Man City is no longer in their glorious era.

25/08/2025 08:23:00 ChampionChatter

The 0-2 home loss to Tottenham last weekend was not just a simple exposure of Man City's issues, but rather a clear confirmation that "The Citizens" cannot return to their peak with coach Pep Guardiola.

1. If Man City has lost to the London representative 7 times in their last 14 meetings, one might conclude that they have a tough opponent or a nemesis. But if they lose in the same way or make the same mistakes throughout the entire past season, against any team, then the story is completely different.

Because it shows that Man City is definitely no longer capable of playing at the highest level. And the team led by the Spanish coach is not a contender for any title this season.

Let's look at some typical factors that prove how long Man City has been stuck. In the first 30 minutes against Tottenham, Pep Guardiola’s team made three defensive errors; they couldn’t launch attacks clearly because Nico, Reijnders, and Cherki were completely isolated by Palhinha, Matar Sarr, and Bentancur.

Man City’s advanced attack was easily exploited by the opponent’s quick counter-attacks, while the defensive system repeatedly made direct mistakes leading to goals. Simply put, Pep’s players couldn’t win one-on-one challenges, couldn’t keep up with opponents in speed races, and lacked creativity to break down a solid defense.

They lost composure under constant pressing, always showing disjointed positioning and a lack of accuracy in decisive moments. Man City failed to meet any conditions of a well-organized team and lacked balance between attack and defense. Such a team is easily defeated by opponents who are more physical, stronger, and faster.

The loss to Tottenham shows that Man City still has a lot of work to do.

2. Man City's problem seems very clear, as they have won for many years with a group of players playing together for a long time, in an unchanging football rhythm. When their football structure was broken by physical overload, mental erosion, and lack of synchronization among new players, "The Citizens" stopped being a strong team. They are repeating last season’s mistakes.

History shows that to maintain long-term dominance in the Premier League, legend Sir Alex Ferguson constantly had to "revolutionize" himself. Meaning he had to continuously adjust his football philosophy when facing a decline in Manchester United’s playing quality or when competing against talented colleagues like Jose Mourinho or Carlo Ancelotti in England.

Ferguson’s football philosophy reforms often led to drastic personnel changes, which positively impacted the "Red Devils" squad. Player groups competed more, and he found individuals better suited for each changing phase of English football.

Arsene Wenger was once one of the most influential managers in the Premier League and a traditional rival of Sir Alex Ferguson, but the French strategist’s achievements did not last long because Wenger’s football philosophy changed little, focusing on ball control and playing the same style for over a decade.

Pep Guardiola is facing exactly the same problems as the French legend, relying too much on ball possession, but this style is ineffective. The Spanish coach’s decision to stay caused Man City to miss the chance for a true rebuild, like Jurgen Klopp did with Liverpool. Now, perhaps the blue team can only wait and see what happens in November, the best time for a change in the coaching position.

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