For the first time in his managerial career, Pep Guardiola oversaw his fourth consecutive defeat as Man City fell to a 2-1 defeat at Brighton, leading to quite the comments from the Spaniard.
For the second week in a row in the Premier League, Arne Slot‘s side took advantage of City dropping points to move five points clear at the summit.
Guardiola’s men have stumbled dramatically in the last 11 days, losing against Tottenham (2-1) in the League Cup, Sporting (4-1) in the Champions League and Bournemouth (2-1) and Brighton (2-1) in the topflight.
It is the club’s first four-game losing run for 18 years, and Guardiola was not going to escape questions about his side’s form after their latest defeat on Saturday.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “Today in the press conference I was asked if it was the end of the era. I know people want that. I smell it for many, many years.
“What we have done in these years, people have said it’s so difficult, but if somebody would like to beat us, it is going to happen because in the next 50 years we’re not going to win all the Premier Leagues. It’s impossible.”
Liverpool fans will know more than most to never put a line through City (we’ve been there and done that), but they can make a big statement when the two teams meet after the international break.
City visit Anfield on December 1, and Guardiola insisted in his press conference that, “When the players come back, I have no doubts we’ll be back to the best.
“This is my challenge, I love a challenge. I won’t step back, more than ever I want to do it. We will try again.”
Guardiola was without Rodri, Oscar Bobb, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish at the Amex on Saturday, but the latter quartet are expected to return in time to face Liverpool.
Let’s hope that ‘smell’ becomes a lot stronger for Guardiola after his visit to Anfield next month.
