Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim said Pep Guardiola renewing his contract with Manchester City was “a problem for everybody here”, but on the latest evidence, the Catalan extending his stay should be celebrated by every other team in the Premier League. As he surveyed the wreckage of the 4-0 drubbing by Tottenham, the City boss might have wanted to reach for that contract to see if it had any break clauses.
This was a catastrophic defeat for City that was truly shocking, but it was far from a freak result. It was the latest example in a pattern of declining performances from a team that looks to have lost its hunger as well as its legs. Looking at the way City surrendered so meekly against Tottenham as they sank to a fifth consecutive defeat, it would be no exaggeration to say that Guardiola faces as daunting a task in fixing this mess as Amorim does in trying to revive United.
This was a day for statistics aficionados to savour. It was the first time a reigning English league champion had lost five games in a row since Chelsea in 1956. It was the first time City had lost five games in all competitions since 2006, when Stuart Pearce was in charge. The same Stuart Pearce who played goalkeeper David James up front in a bid to qualify for Europe. It was City’s worst home defeat since losing 5-1 to Arsenal in February 2003, when they were still playing at Maine Road.
There were many firsts for Guardiola too: it was the first time he has lost three Premier League games in a row and the first time in 17 years as a coach that he has lost five consecutive games in all competitions. It was also the only time he had ever lost a home game by four goals.