Manchester City Suffers Fifth Straight Loss as Kyle Walker Laments Defensive Collapse
Manchester City’s struggles hit a new low on Saturday night, as they endured their fifth consecutive defeat under Pep Guardiola for the first time ever. Facing Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium, City were dismantled in a 4-0 thrashing that showcased their alarming defensive fragility.
James Maddison opened the scoring with a quick-fire brace within the first 20 minutes, while Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson added second-half goals to cap a humiliating evening for Guardiola’s side.
Following the game, Kyle Walker faced the media, candidly addressing City’s alarming form and emphasizing the defensive lapses that have plagued the team.
Walker’s Honest Assessment
Speaking after the defeat, Walker expressed his frustration, especially as a defender:
“It’s hard to stand here and speak about it when I haven’t properly digested it yet. I’ve stood here when we won titles, so I’ll stand here for defeats too. This is the most frustrating thing as a defender. I don’t care about scoring goals; I’m bothered about clean sheets, and we’re not doing that. You have to go back to the basics and get a clean sheet. If we concede four goals at home, we have to score five.”
The veteran defender stressed the collective responsibility for City’s poor run, saying:
“It’s not just the back four, five, or six – it’s all 11 players on the pitch. I wouldn’t say we’ve lost confidence together. I’ve spent eight years with this group. You lose confidence as a team, but we have to remember what we’ve achieved together. What we’ve achieved in the past means nothing, it’s history.”
He maintained optimism, noting the quality within the squad:
“Your powers don’t just go. We know our qualities and weaknesses. You get a win, you get your confidence, and we’re back to how we used to feel.”
Unheeded Warnings
Walker’s frustration also stems from a warning he issued before the international break, after City’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton. At the time, he had urged his teammates to step up:
“This is the time where I want to see the players and real characters come through. It’s all good for the last eight years when we’ve been winning and dominating games. But now it’s tough. This is the time where us, as the senior members, have to pull the players through who haven’t been here for a while and show them the foundations of this club.”
He added:
“We’ve built those foundations over the last eight years, and that will get us through this patch. We need to weather the storm and make sure after the international break we come back fit and ready to go for an important part of the season.”
Unfortunately for City, that message seems to have fallen on deaf ears, with their defensive frailty glaringly evident against Spurs.
Numbers Paint a Grim Picture
City’s defensive woes are encapsulated by their season statistics:
| Competition | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals Scored | Goals Conceded | Clean Sheets |
|——————|———–|———-|———–|———————-|———————-|——————–|
| Premier League | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 17 | 2 |
| Champions League | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 3 |
| Carabao Cup | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
Conceding 24 goals in just 18 matches across all competitions, it’s no wonder Walker singled out this issue as the team’s primary concern. Even Pep Guardiola admitted post-match:
“In this moment, we are fragile defensively. We started really well as normal, but we could not score. After that, we conceded. After that, we conceded some more, which is difficult for our emotions right now.”
What’s Next for City?
City now faces a pivotal title showdown against Liverpool next week. Depending on results, they could trail the league leaders by as much as eight points heading into the match at Anfield.
With their title hopes on the line, City must urgently address their defensive shortcomings during training if they are to reverse their fortunes in both domestic and European competitions.
