Guardiola insists ageing squad is not reason for Manchester City’s poor run

Ilkay Gündogan (left) and John Stones are two of the nine Manchester City players who are over 30, while Manuel Akanji (right) is 29 years old. Photograph: Molly Darlington/Reuters

Pep Guardiola has denied that a key factor in Manchester City’s run of five consecutive defeats is that nine of his squad are aged 30 or older, with the manager pointing to how the same players were Premier League champions last season.

The 4-0 defeat by Tottenham on Saturday was their second loss in the sequence to Ange Postecoglou’s team, the others coming against Brighton, Sporting and Bournemouth. This is City’s poorest run under Guardiola and the worst of his 17-year coaching career.