Since Pep Guardiola joined Manchester City back in 2016, the Blues have ruled over English football with an iron fist. Throughout the iconic Catalonian’s tenure in charge, the Blues have romped to 18 trophies in total, including a sensational treble in 2023 as well as the last four Premier League titles on the spin – the first team in history to achieve such a feat.
The Etihad outfit headed into the ongoing 2024/25 season as the reigning Premier League champions for the fourth straight season. With their dominance firmly in mind, the bookies made them a short-priced favourite to make it five on the spin. Fast forward to the season midway point however and those same football betting odds providers now make them a distant fourth-favourite, with Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea, all ahead of them in the list of frontrunners.
And it isn’t just domestically where Guardiola’s once-all-conquering machine is in trouble, they are also in danger of suffering a humiliating early exit in the Champions League as well. So, where has it all gone wrong?
Rodri’s Season-Ending Injury
It’s quite simple to locate the exact moment when both City and Guardiola’s plans went up in smoke. Rodri’s season-ending injury in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal at the Etihad. The Spanish midfielder has arguably been the Blues’ most important player since he arrived from Atletico Madrid back in 2019, scoring the winner in the 2023 Champions League final victory against Inter Milan in Istanbul and even winning the Ballon d’Or earlier this year.
The former Villareal youngster was crucial to everything that City did well. He broke up opposition attacks and distributed the ball forward quickly to the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden. Not only are those talents now gone, but City don’t have a single holding replacement in their senior ranks other than Rodri, and that has been the root of their problems.
Nosedive in Form
Following that loss to their talismanic midfielder, things quickly began to derail. City managed to paper over the cracks somewhat with wins against the likes of Fulham and Wolves, but their defence was unusually creaky, conceding three goals in those two games. Then, the losses began. They uncharacteristically lost to Bournemouth before suffering a 4-1 drubbing away at Sporting Lisbon in current Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim’s last game in charge of the Portuguese side.
From there, things went from bad to worse. City lost once again domestically away at Brighton, before suffering another thumping, this time a 4-0 reverse at home to Spurs. They then squandered a 3-0 lead at home to Feyenoord in the Champions League to draw 3-3, followed by a toothless 2-0 loss away at Liverpool to all but end their hopes for a fifth straight Premier League title before the festive season was even underway.
A 3-0 victory at home to high-flying Nottingham Forest seemingly stopped the rot, while their 2-2 draw away at Crystal Palace ended a streak of five straight-away defeats. But if anyone was thinking that Guardiola’s side had turned a corner, they needed to think again. Another drab display in Europe saw them slump to a 2-0 defeat away at Italian giants Juventus. But the worst result of all was still to come.
Diallo Derby
The recent Manchester Derby provided the perfect opportunity to get their campaign back on track, and things got off to the perfect start when Josko Gvardiol gave City a first-half lead on home soil. But then, with the seconds ticking away, disaster struck. Bruno Fernandes equalized from the spot just two minutes before full time after the brilliant Amad Diallo was bundled over in the penalty area before the Ivorian winger netted the winner barely a minute later.
Now, City is in the midst of the worst crisis of the Guardiola era. They have won just one of their last 12 games, leaving them out of the League Cup, nine points adrift in the title race, and just one point clear of the Champions League elimination zone. Replacing Rodri in January is now essential, and if that doesn’t happen, things could get even worse before the season is out.
