Manchester City’s long-term Premier League dominance is on the brink of collapse after an inconceivable fall from grace.
Pep Guardiola couldn’t believe his eyes as Manchester United overturned a slender deficit beyond the 87th minute to topple his side 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
A painful defeat in the latest edition of the Manchester derby left the Cityzens at just one win in their last 11 outings across all competitions, deepening their domestic misery.
Man City’s worst finish under Guardiola was third place in his first season in English football in 2016/17.
Since gaining a foothold in the Premier League, the 52-year-old has guided City to six titles in seven years. They finished second behind Liverpool in 2019/20.
Already out of the title conversation after last season’s unprecedented fourth consecutive league triumph, Man City must stop looking up and start looking over their shoulders.
The derby defeat knocked them out of the current top four, opening a narrow one-point gap on fourth-placed Nottingham Forest while letting the 13th-placed Red Devils move within five points.
The threat is imminent as the Cityzens endure their worst run of form during Guardiola’s trophy-laden regime.
Five defeats across their last seven top-flight matches are as many as they had in the entire 2022/23 campaign and already two more than they suffered in 2023/24.
Missing out on a top-four finish for the first time since 2009/10 would be catastrophic for one of the most formidable forces in the Premier League era.
But it’s a distinct possibility.
In addition to Man Utd, City will need to fend off Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, among others, to secure another Champions League qualification.
Only six points separate 13th-placed United from Forest halfway through the season, with the Cityzens still in a coma.
Unless Guardiola finds a way to wake his beleaguered side up soon, this could be one of the most shocking campaigns in recent Premier League memory.
