The atmosphere at the Etihad in Man City's first home match of the season was filled with excitement. Confidence rose after the devastating 4-0 victory over Wolves, along with excitement for bright new players. Their campaign to regain the throne seemed to have kicked off promisingly.
However, what happened after that not only cooled optimism but also caused Pep Guardiola's army to deviate. Two consecutive defeats against Tottenham and Brighton have left The Citizens 6 points behind Liverpool.
Now, it is not an exaggeration to say that their championship hope is facing a big challenge. Right after the derby with Manchester United, Man City will have to face Arsenal in the Premier League.
If injuries right before the international break have caused Guardiola a headache, the current situation is even more worrying. Omar Marmoush suffered a knee injury while on duty with the Egyptian team, joining the absentee list along with Rayan Cherki and Rayan Ait-Nouri. The possibility of John Stones playing is still uncertain.
However, the problem for the Etihad team is not just personnel. The worrying thing is that they have not shown themselves to be stronger than the team that experienced their worst season under Guardiola last year. Last season, as early as December, The Citizens were eliminated from the championship race.
Against Tottenham, they were helpless in blocking high-ball situations and flick-ons (quick-ish pushes with one touch). At the same time, Man City also collapsed due to high-level pressing - a scenario reminiscent of the 0-4 defeat to Spurs last season.
Against Brighton, Man City also recreated their old habit when they lost the lead and lost 1-2. The goals conceded all had familiar scenarios, when Matheus Nunes made a mistake leading to a penalty, then they continued to be knocked down by a lightning counter-attack.
Man City have not only had their worst start under Guardiola. This is also the first time since 2004 2005 - when Kevin Keegan was in charge - they have failed to win a single game in their opening three games.
Of course, Guardiola has faced even more gloomy starts and has known how to turn things around. In his miraculous first season at Barcelona, his team lost to rookie Numancia in the opening match and then drew with Racing Santander right at Camp Nou.
Catalan media was full of criticism at the time, but Andres Iniesta stood in his favor at an internal meeting. And the rest was history when Barca reached the top with a treble.
At Man City, Guardiola also went through a similar period. In the 2020-2021 season, his team dropped points in 5 of the first 9 matches. However, they have since transformed into a series of 13 consecutive wins since December, paving the way to the Premier League title.
But this time, everything seems completely different. Man City are in the midst of a strange transfer. Nearly half of the squad that made the historic treble in 2023 have left. On the last day of the transfer window alone, Ilkay Gundogan, Manuel Akanji and Ederson all parted ways with The Citizens. Before that, Jack Grealish went to Everton on loan, while Kevin De Bruyne ended his 10-year association with a series of titles to leave the Etihad.
Guardiola's side spent up to £180m on six new signings in the summer, having invested in the same amount in January. However, both of these shopping periods have not brought about a significant boost to their collective strength. 3 out of the 7 new contracts are goalkeepers, while young talent Sverre Nypan was even immediately sent to Middlesbrough on loan.
The only name that has made an impression in the Premier League so far is Tijjani Reijnders, with an impressive debut against Wolves. In contrast, Ait-Nouri suffered an injury in the first half against Tottenham. Although he returned in time for the match against Brighton, he continued to be out of action and was definitely absent from the Manchester derby.
The same situation happened to Cherki, who was also injured against Spurs and could only return in mid-October. Meanwhile, in the group of 5 new recruits recruited in January, only Marmoush really made an impression, but he also had to stay out for a long time.
In addition, Vitor Reis hardly played last season and was loaned out, while Abdukodir Khusanov had a difficult start in the Premier League.
