Finish of an period? Man Metropolis loses fourth straight recreation and Guardiola faces some powerful questions

A way of disaster is looming over the champions of England after they misplaced a fourth straight recreation in all competitions, 2-1 at Brighton, and slipped 5 factors behind Liverpool within the Premier League on Saturday. Liverpool beat Aston Villa 2-0 due to objectives by Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah.

Second-placed Metropolis hasn’t misplaced 4 video games in a row since 2006 – two years earlier than the Abu Dhabi takeover of the membership and 10 years earlier than Guardiola’s game-changing arrival on the blue facet of Manchester.

As for Guardiola, extensively thought to be the world’s finest coach, he has by no means misplaced 4 straight matches anyplace in his illustrious time in administration that started in 2007.

The closest he has come was within the 2014-15 season when, at Bayern Munich, his workforce misplaced in a penalty shootout within the German Cup adopted by three straight defeats – two within the Bundesliga, when Bayern had already clinched the title, and as soon as within the Champions League.

So, Guardiola was requested, is that this the top of the period, after main Metropolis to an unprecedented 4 straight top-flight league titles?

“It’s what the folks need, proper?” he posed. “That’s regular – we received quite a bit. I might identical to to have all of the squad (out there).”

That received’t be occurring anytime quickly contemplating star centre midfielder Rodri, this 12 months’s Ballon d’Or winner, is out for the season with an ACL harm. Guardiola additionally had his finest 4 centre backs – Ruben Dias, John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake – unavailable, whereas playmaker Kevin De Bruyne is clearly not sharp or match sufficient on his return from harm.

“Once we play unhealthy, I’m the primary to say, ‘Oh, oh, I don’t prefer it.’ However I don’t have that feeling,” Guardiola mentioned.

Certainly, Metropolis was dominant within the first half and went in entrance when Erling Haaland scored his league-leading twelfth aim of the marketing campaign.

Nevertheless, like within the 4-1 loss at Sporting within the Champions League on Tuesday, Metropolis couldn’t maintain its stage within the second half and Brighton fought again, with Joao Pedro equalizing within the 78th and organising Matt O’Riley for the winner within the 83rd on his Premier League debut.

Metropolis’s dropping run began at Tottenham within the English League Cup final week, earlier than a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth within the league – its first league defeat in 11 months.

For Guardiola, it’s easy. Metropolis’s squad can not address all its accidents whereas the fixtures are coming thick and quick.

“We can not do it each three days, three days, 4 days, three days with the (harm) state of affairs we’ve,” he mentioned, including with an air of desperation, “I might like to have the gamers (again).”

Metropolis’s subsequent recreation is after the worldwide break, at residence to Tottenham within the league.

Liverpool has received 9 of its 11 league video games in a panoramic begin below new supervisor Arne Slot, who has received Salah enjoying in high kind.

Salah arrange Nunez after a quick breakaway within the twentieth minute and scored himself on one other counterattack within the 84th for his tenth aim of the season.

“If you happen to requested me earlier than the season began, I might not say we had been candidates,” Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister mentioned about his workforce’s title possibilities, “however now it seems like (we’re).”

Liverpool proper again Trent Alexander-Arnold went off with a suspected hamstring harm within the first half.

Wolverhampton secured its first win within the league and climbed off the underside of the standings by beating Southampton 2-0 to ease the strain on supervisor Gary O’Neil.

Brazil ahead Matheus Cunha arrange Pablo Sarabia for a second-minute aim and scored himself within the second half to encourage Wolves at Molineux.

Southampton dropped to final place on its return to the highest flight.

Harry Wilson scored one other late aim to assist Fulham proceed its spectacular season by successful at 10-man Crystal Palace 2-0.

Wilson’s two stoppage-time objectives earned Fulham a dramatic win at Brentford on Monday. This time, he constructed on Emile Smith Rowe’s opener by netting within the 83rd minute, after Daichi Kamada was purple carded for Palace. Wilson had one other aim dominated out for handball in stoppage time.

Brentford bounced again from that painful loss to Fulham with a 3-2 victory over Bournemouth, due to Yoane Wissa’s double and a Fiftieth-minute winner from Mikkel Damsgaard.

West Ham drew at residence with Everton 0-0 within the different recreation.