Manchester City are currently in relegation form and there is little sign of it ending.
Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa left them joint bottom of the form table over the last eight games with just Southampton for company.
Saints, at the foot of the Premier League, have the same number of points [four] as City over their last eight matches having won one, drawn one and lost six – the same record as the floundering champions.
And if Southampton – who appointed Ivan Juric as their new manager on Saturday – get at least a point at Fulham on Sunday, City will be on the worst run in the division.
Even Wolves, who sacked boss Gary O’Neil last Sunday and replaced him with Vitor Pereira, have earned double the number of points during the same period having played a game less.
They are damming statistics for Pep Guardiola, even if he does have some mitigating circumstances with injuries to Ederson, Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias – who all missed the loss at Villa Park – and the long-term loss of midfield powerhouse Rodri.
Guardiola was happy with Saturday’s performance, despite defeat in Birmingham, but there is little solace to take at slipping further out of the title race.
He may have needed to field a half-fit Manuel Akanji and John Stones at Villa Park but that does not account for City looking a shadow of their former selves.
That does not justify the error Josko Gvardiol made to gift Jhon Duran a golden chance inside the first 20 seconds, or £100m man Jack Grealish again failing to have an impact on a game.
There may be legitimate reasons for City’s drop off, whether that be injuries, mental fatigue or just simply a team coming to the end of its lifecycle, but their form, which has plunged off a cliff edge, would have been unthinkable as they strolled to a fourth straight title last season.
Afterwards Guardiola was calm, so much so it was difficult to hear him in the news conference, a contrast to the frustrated figure he cut on the touchline.
He said: “It depends on us. The solution is bring the players back. We have just one central defender fit, that is difficult. We are going to try next game – another opportunity and we don’t think much further than that.
“Of course there are more reasons. We concede the goals we don’t concede in the past, we [don’t] score the goals we score in the past. Football is not just one reason. There are a lot of little factors.
“Last season we won the Premier League, but we came here and lost. We have to think positive and I have incredible trust in the guys. Some of them have incredible pride and desire to do it. We have to find a way, step by step, sooner or later to find a way back.”
Villa boss Unai Emery highlighted City’s frailties, saying he felt Villa could seize on the visitors’ lack of belief.
“Manchester City are a little bit under the confidence they have normally,” he said. “The second half was different, we dominated and we scored. Through those circumstances they were feeling worse than even in the first half.”
Haaland admits confidence is waning
Image caption: Erling Haaland had one touch in the Villa box
There are chinks in the armour never seen before at City under Guardiola and Erling Haaland conceded belief within the squad is low.
He told TNT after the game: “Of course, [confidence levels are] not the best. We know how important confidence is and you can see that it affects every human being. That is how it is, we have to continue and stay positive even though it is difficult.”
Haaland, with 76 goals in 83 Premier League appearances since joining City from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, had one shot and one touch in the Villa box.
His 18 touches in the whole game were the lowest of all starting players and he has been self critical, despite scoring 13 goals in the top flight this season.
Over City’s last eight games he has netted just twice though, but Guardiola refused to criticise his star striker.
He said: “Without him we will be even worse but I like the players feeling that way. I don’t agree with Erling. He needs to have the balls delivered in the right spots but he will fight for the next one.”