Pep Guardiola is starting to "experience" the crisis at Manchester City. This is a fresh feeling for the 53-year-old, who has changed the fate of every club he has coached. However, cracks are starting to appear during Guardiola's reign at the Etihad.
The 1-2 loss to Brighton in the Premier League was Man City's fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions. This is also the first time in Guardiola's coaching career that he has experienced this feeling.
Brighton's victory also marked Man City's first four defeats since 2006, two years before the club was backed by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan and Abu Dhabi's huge budget.
Tottenham, Bournemouth, Sporting and Brighton have all beaten The Citizens in the last 10 days, despite playing in 3 different leagues. Surprisingly, just last season, Man City also created a milestone of 4 consecutive Premier League titles. And now they have lost 4 consecutive matches.
Will Man City be eliminated from this year's championship race and sign a decline? It is too early to confirm, but this is inevitable, regardless of the sport. More than anyone else, Guardiola is the one who feels the most about the insecurity at the Etihad at the moment.
"Today at the press conference, I was asked whether this is the end of the era. I know that's what people want. I've heard that for many, many years.
What we have done in the past years, people have said it is difficult, but if someone wants to beat us, it will happen. Because in the next 50 years, we will not win all the Premier League titles. That is impossible," Guardiola admitted after the loss to Brighton.
If considered individually, the pitfall that Man City face will not be enough to disrupt the team and question their resilience. But once the difficulties piled up, the pressure of each trap suddenly became unbearable.
The off-field battle against 115 allegations of violating Premier League financial regulations has been a dark cloud over Man City for months. This is a dark cloud that has affected the ability to attract new players to the Etihad, although they have always denied it.
Why? Because no top player would risk signing for a club facing unprecedented financial penalties. That could be a huge points deduction or even deportation from the Premier League.
"When the players come back, I have no doubt that we will return to our best form" - Guardiola still believes in Man City's ability to recover. But for the first time since arriving at the Etihad and perhaps for the first time in his management career, Guardiola may be trying to reassure himself.
