Pep Guardiola Urges Calm as Manchester City’s Losing Streak Continues After Spurs Thrashing
Pep Guardiola insists Manchester City cannot afford to overreact to their unprecedented losing streak after a crushing 4-0 defeat to Tottenham at the Etihad. The loss marked City’s fifth consecutive defeat and left Guardiola’s side trailing Premier League leaders Liverpool by a significant margin.
Arne Slot’s Liverpool could extend their lead to eight points with a win over Southampton and face City at Anfield next Sunday—a ground where Guardiola has historically struggled. A defeat there could see the gap widen to 11 points, a scenario Guardiola admitted would be “too much” for City to realistically recover from. However, he stressed that City are not in a position to be thinking about titles right now.
“We are a bit fragile right now, that is obvious,” Guardiola said, addressing the team’s slump. “We struggled to score goals and then, when they arrived, they scored. We are playing a little bit in our thoughts, a little bit of negativity, but this is normal.”
City were outclassed in their defeat to Spurs, leaving Guardiola demanding improvement across the squad. While acknowledging mental struggles within the team, he remained firm on sticking to the principles that have brought the club consistent success over the years.
“Football is a sense of mood,” he explained. “When you win a lot, it gives you self-awareness, and when you lose three games in a row in the Premier League, that situation is there. Many things are going to happen. We have to break this run because victories help us to be more positive and confident.”
Guardiola dismissed the idea of wholesale changes to their approach, emphasizing the importance of simplicity and continuity:
“The mistake is to think too much about analyzing what happened. The other mistake would be, after eight years of going in one way, to change a lot—it would be a huge mistake. It worked because we didn’t change much. After winning four in a row, the Premier League titles, the Champions League, and being there all the time, now I’m going to change after one or two defeats?”
Looking ahead, Guardiola urged his players to focus on taking small steps to rebuild their confidence and form:
“You have to go to the simple things, to the things we believe in completely. Step by step, the players will be back, and we’ll try to win games. If at the end it doesn’t happen, what can we do? More than ever, hopefully—because I’m hugely optimistic in my life—hopefully they can follow me.”
With a Champions League fixture against Feyenoord midweek and the daunting trip to Anfield looming, Guardiola and City face a critical period to salvage their season.
