Pep Guardiola confessed that he did not anticipate Manchester City’s dramatic decline in form following their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday, where they conceded twice late in the match.
City have won just one of their last 11 games across all competitions, a stretch that includes eight losses.
After securing an unmatched four consecutive Premier League titles, their bid to defend the crown now appears to be all but over before Christmas.
Guardiola’s side are now nine points behind leaders Liverpool, who also have a game in hand, and currently sit outside the top four in fifth place.
“I don’t have defence, I’m the boss, I’m the manager. I have to find a solution and I don’t find a solution,” said Guardiola.
“This is a big club, when you lose eight out of 11, something wrong is happening. What can I say? The schedule is tough, the injured players? No.
“I’m the boss, I’m the manager and I’m not good enough. It’s as simple as that.”
City’s latest loss was particularly devastating, as they were on the brink of a crucial victory against their local rivals, with Josko Gvardiol’s first-half header putting them ahead.
However, their efforts fell apart when Matheus Nunes made a careless pass that allowed Amad Diallo to break free.
In his attempt to recover, Nunes fouled Diallo, giving away a penalty. Bruno Fernandes converted from the spot to equalise in the 88th minute.
Then, Diallo latched onto a straightforward long ball over the top to complete a stunning turnaround, plunging City deeper into a growing crisis, one that is now threatening to undermine the dominance they have held over English football for the past decade.
“I am sitting here in the press conference because of what we have done in the past,” added Guardiola.
“I knew that it would be a tough season. From the beginning, I said many times. Even when we were winning.
“But I didn’t expect it would be so hard, like it is right now.”
City midfielder Bernardo Silva was even more outspoken about his team’s struggles, likening their errors in the final moments to those made by an under-15s side.
“At this level, a game or two is unlucky. We can’t say this is lucky or unlucky — it’s not about that,” said the Portugal international.
“If we make these stupid decisions with three or four minutes to go you deserve to pay for that. Today in the last minute we played like under-15s.”
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