Manchester City’s latest 4-0 loss to Tottenham has raised even more doubts about their title prospects, with Gary Neville suggesting that Pep Guardiola’s side may be in decline.
Neville, speaking to Sky Sports, questioned whether City are a team in decline, remarking, “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.” The defeat to Spurs marked their fifth consecutive loss, leaving City potentially eight points behind league leaders Liverpool when the two sides meet next week.
Neville pointed out that City’s struggles have been apparent in all aspects of their game, saying, “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 added that the team’s performance since the international break has only deepened concerns about their title chances, stating, “[Guardiola] will have wanted that international break to come, thinking it would be a reset moment. But now here, it further entrenches the opinion this is a City side currently in decline.”
The defeat to Tottenham also ended City’s 52-match unbeaten home run, with Guardiola acknowledging his team’s defensive fragility. City have struggled since Rodri’s injury, and Neville singled out Kyle Walker for criticism, particularly for his poor defending in the lead-up to Spurs’ fourth goal. “Goodness gracious me,” Neville 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.”
With City’s title hopes increasingly under threat, Neville’s concerns echo those of many fans and pundits who are questioning whether the once-dominant side can recover in time for the crucial showdown with Liverpool.
