‘Guardiola’s job at Man City has never been bigger’
In the PSG barrage, City faced 26 shots – their highest total against them since a Champions League game against Real Madrid in September 2012, when the Spaniards faced 35 shots.
The vision of Matheus Nunes – an attacking operator – on the right, with Kyle Walker close to completing a move to AC Milan, demonstrates the kind of muddled thinking that has blighted City and Guardiola’s seasons, a flaw that need to be addressed.
He was all at sea, as was another substitute Rico Lewis, as PSG went on a rampage in wide areas at will, with Bradley Barcola, Desire Dou and substitute Ousmane Dembele leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
However, the defeat was a collective failure of the manager and team as City were in danger of falling apart, conceding four goals for the first time in a game since a 5–2 defeat at home to Leicester City in September 2020.
Despite leading 2–0, City never looked in any form or position to take over the game. Guardiola regards possession as nine tenths of the law of football – here they were guilty of criminal negligence, Dembele’s goal three minutes after Haaland’s second was a major turning point.
Guardiola, as he stood soaked and stunned on the sidelines, powerless to prevent a defeat that should have been far more emphatic, may now realize he has an even bigger rebuilding task on his hands than he thought.
Kevin De Bruyne looked great throughout his 33 years, as did Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic, both 30, as PSG’s energy inside and out exposed every weakness that has plagued City this season. De Bruyne and Kovacic were both replaced after 70 minutes, having been subbed off.
The statistics present a dire situation for Guardiola, with City failing to win after taking the lead in nine matches in all competitions this season (four defeats and five draws), the most of any Premier League club in 2024/25. Is more.
City have lost their last three Champions League games away from home, their second longest losing streak after four consecutive matches under Roberto Mancini between November 2011 and December 2012.
And it was the first time they have lost a game by two goals since a 3–2 defeat to Brighton in May 2021.
