Manchester City’s collapse against Arsenal on Sunday was the latest evidence that their dominance has completely unravelled.
This is a team that won an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title last season. They now look like a side that might struggle to even finish in the top four.
City’s defensive frailties were exposed once again as they conceded four second-half goals in a humiliating 5-1 defeat.
The loss to Arsenal follows similar meltdowns against Paris Saint-Germain, Tottenham Hotspur and Sporting CP.
The defending champions are now 15 points behind Liverpool. Even before this result, the title race had slipped beyond their reach.
A more urgent question now emerges – will they even qualify for the Champions League?
For the first time in his managerial career, Pep Guardiola’s team has conceded four or more goals in four different matches in a single season.
Their defensive record is unrecognisable from the structure that once suffocated opponents.
They have already shipped 53 goals in 36 games this term, just one fewer than they conceded in all 59 matches last season. At this rate, their vulnerabilities will only grow more damaging.
City were briefly in the game when Erling Braut Haaland equalised, but their response was embarrassing.
Arsenal restored their lead within two minutes, and the visitors collapsed. The Gunners did not just beat City. They dismantled them. Guardiola could only watch as his players crumbled under the pressure.
John Stones admitted afterwards that his pride had been hurt. The defender called City’s performance in the final 30 minutes ‘unacceptable’.
Guardiola also conceded that his team ‘forgot to do what we should do’.
But this is not just a bad run. It is a full-scale decline. City have gone from the best team in the world to a side that looks completely unrecognisable from their former selves.
A run of six games without a win in all competitions earlier in the season was viewed as a blip. But there has been no corner turned. The loss to Arsenal was just further proof of their regression.
Guardiola has spoken all season about his side making too many mistakes. That has not changed. City remain fourth, but Newcastle United, Chelsea and Bournemouth are all within touching distance.
If they do not find a solution quickly, the unthinkable could become reality. Missing out on the Champions League is no longer just a distant fear – it is a genuine possibility.
