"I'm not going to give up, that's for sure" - Pep Guardiola showed his determination after 3 consecutive defeats in all competitions before the clash with Brighton. Then, Man City lost to the Amex team and ended a bad streak before entering FIFA Days in November.
Since coming to English football in 2016, it was a rare time that Pep Guardiola was so tense when talking about Man City's goals. The Etihad team is very strong, they have won 6/7 of the most recent Premier League seasons and have won the treble. Therefore, when Pep shared his feelings like that, you can feel the pressure is getting heavier.
The four-game losing streak is the first time Pep has had such a bad record in his coaching career. Although he is a great strategist, it cannot be denied that this period is the biggest challenge he has ever faced. If he cannot overcome it, this could be the last season for the Spanish strategist at the Etihad Stadium.
While going through a series of bad matches, Pep Guardiola and his students are preparing to face a dense and harsh schedule. In the context of many key players being injured, having to face very strong opponents between now and before Christmas could be a strong enough blow to destroy The Citizens' ambition to win the Premier League for the 5th consecutive time.
Man City's four-game losing streak began with a defeat to Tottenham in the League Cup. When they return after FIFA Days in November, they will meet the same opponent at home with the task of winning. Spurs are also extremely hungry for points so this promises to be a very notable match.
In the Premier League, right after the match against Tottenham, Man City will have to travel to Anfield to host Liverpool - the team that is leading the rankings with a record of 9 wins/11 matches since the beginning of the season. If the recovery progress of the pillars is as expected, Man City can have the services of Jack Grealish, Ruben Dias and John Stones back for this very important match.
Right after Liverpool, Man City will host Nottingham Forest at home. This season, Nottingham has replaced the dark horse role of Brighton and Brentford in the last 2 seasons. The team at City Ground is currently ranked 5th in the rankings but has the same 19 points as the 2 teams above, Chelsea and Arsenal.
After these three difficult matches, Man City only had time to catch their breath when they faced Crystal Palace away in London. However, the Manchester Derby will be right after that. Man United now has a new coach and is expected to play with fire from now until the Derby. If you put the two Manchester teams side by side right now, it will be a long time since Man City has been considered not to be too superior to their neighbors.
That is a series of 5 very important matches that Man City need to win as much as possible. Not to mention that after Man United, Man City's opponent will be Aston Villa. Villa is currently ranked 9th but has 18 points, which is only 1 point behind 4th place. Unai Emery and his team will not have an easy time when playing at home at Villa Park.
In between this tense run of Premier League fixtures, Man City will face Feyenoord and Juventus in the Champions League. There's no telling how difficult it will be, but having to stretch yourself on multiple fronts with a squad that's in disarray could put Pep in a tough position.