Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has admitted that the club is struggling to match elite clubs at the moment. They have suffered many draws & losses recently which is very unlike the club and the Spanish tactician is under a lot of pressure to turn things around.
Saturday night’s 2-1 loss at home to Manchester United was the latest blow to the champions who now trail league leaders Liverpool by 14 points. It is a far cry from last season when the Citizens were ruthless winning machinery & ended the campaign with a domestic treble. City has lost four times this season – as many as they lost the whole of last campaign – and after one victory in their last four league games, the Spaniard has pondered whether his side can keep pace with the European giants. Guardiola added, “[Manchester] United have the quality to defend and the quality to attack the counter-attack and you have to accept that. That is the level we face against Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus. They are the teams we have to face and the reality is maybe we are not able now to compete with them. Maybe we need to live that as a club to improve, to accept the reality now and improve.”
Despite struggling in the league this season, City is already through to the knockout stages of the Champions League ahead of Wednesday’s final group game against Dinamo Zagreb. They play Oxford United of League One in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals later this month and are bidding to win that competition for a third successive season. They have also been given a kind draw against League Two Port Vale for the start of their FA Cup defense in January.
