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Pep Guardiola said his Manchester City broadside were "fragile", portion they were besides labelled "weak" and "frail" aft surrendering a 3-0 Champions League pb against Feyenoord astatine Etihad Stadium.
Instead of heading to Liverpool connected the backmost of a morale-boosting win, the defending Premier League champions look their rubric rivals astatine Anfield connected Sunday with much questions astir their defending aft having to settee for a 3-3 draw.
City person present conceded 2 oregon much goals successful six successive matches successful each competitions for the archetypal clip since May 1963.
Not lone that, but they look to person forgotten however to triumph - adjacent from the astir commanding positions.
When Erling Haaland slid successful to enactment them 3-0 up successful the 53rd infinitesimal against Feyenoord, the hosts looked good connected people to instrumentality to winning ways aft 5 consecutive defeats.
Yet the 2023 European Cup winners inexplicably managed to propulsion distant 2 points and were booed disconnected the transportation astatine afloat time.
"They look weak, they look light, they look frail," said erstwhile England skipper Alan Shearer, who was astatine Etihad Stadium for Amazon Prime.
"Even with 2 minutes to spell and 3-2 up, they instrumentality a speedy free-kick. Why? Kill the game. They were successful specified a comfy position."
City person not kept a cleanable expanse since 26 October, erstwhile they past tasted triumph successful a constrictive 1-0 triumph implicit struggling Southampton.
Since past they person leaked 17 goals successful six matches, an astonishing statistic considering their occurrence nether Guardiola has been built connected coagulated antiaircraft foundations.
"I don't cognize if it is simply a intelligence thing," said Guardiola, who became truthful frustrated with his side's show that helium scratched his ain face.
"The crippled was good astatine 3-0, playing good, but past we concede a batch of goals due to the fact that we were not stable. We gave them the archetypal and past the different one, that is wherefore it was difficult.
"The concern is what it is. We played a bully crippled but astatine that level we can't springiness them away."
City person enactment to bash if they are to debar an unwanted two-legged play-off successful February to advancement to the past 16.
They person to decorativeness successful the apical 8 to gain an automatic transition into the knockout signifier but beryllium 15th aft Tuesday's game. They could autumn adjacent little aft Wednesday's matches.
City look 2 investigating games astatine Juventus connected 11 December and Paris St-Germain connected 22 January adjacent successful the contention earlier hosting Club Brugge connected 29 January.
"Right present I americium not acceptable to deliberation astir that [needing to triumph their last 3 games to decorativeness apical eight]," added Guardiola.
"We person to retrieve and hole for the adjacent game. If we are not capable to triumph games similar we did contiguous it is hard to bash it."
Croatia defender Josko Gvardiol outgo £77m erstwhile helium joined City from RB Leipzig successful August 2023.
He struggled successful the 4-0 location decision by Tottenham astatine the play and connected Tuesday was astatine responsibility for Feyenoord's archetypal and 2nd goals.
Gvardiol archetypal horribly misplaced a backpass which allowed Anis Hadj Moussa to nip successful and circular Ederson to people Feyenoord's archetypal goal.
Ordinarily that would person been a specified consolation and City would person closed retired the game, but Gvardiol had different infinitesimal to hide 8 minutes from time.
Again helium gave the shot distant and Feyenoord pounced. The shot was lofted into the container and Jordan Lotomba fired a changeable that glanced the station and deflected crossed goal, wherever substitute Santiago Gimenez chested in.
"It was a comical antiaircraft mistake from Josko Gvardiol that allowed Feyenoord backmost into the crippled and they capitulated," erstwhile England winger Andros Townsend told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"We person ne'er seen antiaircraft frailties similar this from Manchester City before. It seems to beryllium popping up successful each azygous crippled they've played recently.
"They were cruising. In the end, each that hard enactment from City is undone, and the unit present mounts adjacent much up of the Premier League crippled against Liverpool."
Former Manchester City subordinate Gael Clichy said Guardiola's broadside are missing a "vocal" person successful the team.
"You cannot proceed making idiosyncratic mistakes," Clichy told Amazon Prime.
"That has happened successful the past six matches. They are missing a vocal leader. A beardown person astatine the back."
Guardiola added: "Gvardiol volition learn. He was the champion subordinate connected the transportation but I volition beryllium truthful incorrect if I constituent a circumstantial happening astatine him.
"He is simply a fantastic player, fantastic lad and much than ever indispensable beryllium helped."
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