Manchester City are facing elimination from the group stage of this year's Champions League. Coach Pep Guardiola also became weak and confused after suffering his 7th defeat in 10 matches.
Just a month ago, no one could have imagined that The Citizens would be in such a situation. However, after a 0-2 loss to Juventus, Guardiola's side have fallen into a dead end.
Second-half goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie sinked Man City. They are currently 22nd in the Champions League, just 1 point above the 25th-placed Paris St Germain. Notably, The Citizens will face PSG in the next match and if they lose that match, elimination from the Champions League is entirely possible.
But while that prospect would be pain for a club of Man City's stature and ambition, the biggest problem lies with Guardiola. Is this the beginning of the end of his incredible eight-year reign at the Etihad?
Is Guardiola's position at Man City threatened by the club's unprecedented decline? It is unlikely that the club's board, who are in Turin led by Chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak, will react excessively to the point of thinking about sacking the most successful manager in Man City's history. The Citizens' trust and support for Guardiola is not a problem.
The Spaniard has had poor results at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Man City. However, he has never gone through such a serious crisis as he is now.
A brilliant career with almost unceasing success since winning a treble with Barcelona in his first season in 2008 2009, has taken Guardiola to new heights. In other words, he has overcome the challenges and hardships of his peers. Ironically, now he has to deal with those things himself.
When asked after the loss to Juventus if he was wondering whether he was, Guardiola admitted that he was, but with a more challenging attitude, it was a sign of lack of confidence.
"Of course I wondered to myself and I had my own thoughts. I am always stable in good moments and bad moments. I try to find a way to do that," said Guardiola.
With Man City participating in the FIFA Club World Cup in the US next summer, their season still has 7 months left. The most worrying thing is that Guardiola and his players seem to have run out of energy and ideas.
