Manchester City, the Premier League champions, have witnessed their lowest point tally in the first 17 league matches under Spanish boss Pep Guardiola. They have already suffered three Premier League defeats this season. In contrast, City boasts a 100% winning record in the Champions League group stage.
The former Barcelona boss had previously admitted that his side was overshadowed by Unai Emery’s side, openly acknowledging that ‘Aston Villa was better’. Now, following the last draw against Crystal Palace, it has left him frustrated, prompting self-criticism.
Pep Guardiola talks about Man City’s bad form
Manchester City aimed to secure their second successive league win as they welcomed struggling Crystal Palace, grappling with poor form, to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. Unfortunately, the English champions squandered a two-goal advantage in the last 15 minutes of the match.
Jack Grealish opened the scoreline with his elegant right-footed finish before the half-time mark, and later, in the 54th minute, Rico Lewis extended the advantage. The visitors responded with a spot kick, and Jean-Philippe Mateta’s injury-time equalizer dragged the match back to square.
Post-match, Pep Guardiola fumed with frustration over his team’s poor efforts to throw away three points to regain their winning momentum.
He said, “It is not bad luck, it was deserved, we gave away two points when you give away a penalty, you deserve it. You see the chances we created, the chances we concede, it’s quite similar, except the Chelsea game, all this season. But we are not able to close the game.”
“There was a chance [for Palace] in the first half…but until the [Mateta] goal, they didn’t do anything. So the team was good. But in the end, when you give Crystal Palace this penalty, you don’t deserve it. It’s like the penalty for Chelsea.”
“The games against Spurs, and Liverpool, today, were excellent, but we were not able to win the game. What has happened is because we are not consistent enough to close the games and for many reasons.”, Guardiola added further.
Manchester City’s poor performance in PL continues
The treble winners faced no threats in their Champions League group-stage campaign, securing their place in the Round of 16 as group winners with six out of six wins. However, their domestic title defense has taken a hit in the past few weeks.
In the Premier League, City dropped to 4th place on the points table, accumulating 34 points this season. Notably, this is the lowest point tally figure as of Matchday 17. Guardiola’s managed side has only secured a single win in the previous six league matches.
Next, the Champions of Europe will travel to Saudi Arabia to play the scheduled Club World Cup semi-final fixture against the Asian champions, the Urawa Red Diamonds, on Tuesday.
