For all the comments on Pep Guardiola’s scratches, some senior figures in football were a bit shocked by the image. That even extended to the top levels of Liverpool, who Manchester City travel to face on Sunday.
It was certainly unusual, but these are unusual times. The 3-3 collapse at home to Feyenoord made it even clearer that City’s form is more than a blip. In the space of just five games, Guardiola has suffered a worst ever league defeat, a worst ever run of losses – with four becoming five – and a first ever game where one of his teams squandered a three-goal lead. A 3-0 advantage over Feyenoord at home was supposed to be the sort of situation where form self-corrects but it just saw more calamitous error. Those at Liverpool have been comparing it to Jurgen Klopp’s 2022-23 season, which the German felt he couldn’t leave as his last campaign at Anfield. The same club can now make it even more torrid for City. They sense opportunity.
