Manchester City Encounters Difficulties in Europe

Manchester City is experiencing its most challenging period in recent years. Pep Guardiola’s team has been struggling, with only one victory in their last ten matches, alongside seven defeats and two draws. These are unprecedented statistics for a team that has been one of Europe’s strongest in recent years. Guardiola himself, despite recently renewing his contract with the Manchester club, is facing his toughest time since joining the Sky Blues in 2016.

In the Premier League, Manchester City finds itself in fourth place, eight points behind leaders Liverpool (who have a game in hand). This is an unusual situation for a team that has won six of the last seven Premier League titles. Now, this poor run in domestic competition has extended to the Champions League: the defeat against Juventus in Turin complicates Manchester City’s direct passage to the next phase.

The British team has accumulated eight points in six matches of the Champions League’s first round and currently occupies the twenty-second position in the European rankings. This defeat will prevent Guardiola’s team from directly qualifying for the round of 16, as only the top eight teams advance automatically. Furthermore, Manchester City is flirting with elimination. While teams ranked ninth to twenty-fourth access the playoffs, the Sky Blues still have to visit PSG at the Parc des Princes (January 22), and a loss there could practically eliminate them from the Champions League.

Although Manchester City is not yet eliminated from the Champions League and still has room for improvement in the Premier League, it is nonetheless surprising that a team that has dominated both competitions is far from competing effectively in December. We will see how Manchester City evolves in both competitions. For now, Guardiola’s team’s next step is the Manchester derby against Manchester United this coming Sunday.