Manchester Metropolis are at the moment in relegation kind and there may be little signal of it ending.
Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa left them joint backside of the shape desk during the last eight video games with simply Southampton for firm.
Saints, on the foot of the Premier League, have the identical variety of factors [four] as Metropolis over their final eight matches having received one, drawn one and misplaced six – the identical file because the floundering champions.
And if Southampton – who appointed Ivan Juric as their new supervisor on Saturday – get at the very least some extent at Fulham on Sunday, Metropolis can be on the worst run within the division.
Even Wolves, who sacked boss Gary O’Neil final Sunday and changed him with Vitor Pereira, have earned double the variety of factors throughout the identical interval having performed a recreation much less.
They’re damming statistics for Pep Guardiola, even when he does have some mitigating circumstances with accidents to Ederson, Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias – who all missed the loss at Villa Park – and the long-term lack of midfield powerhouse Rodri.
Guardiola was pleased with Saturday’s efficiency, regardless of defeat in Birmingham, however there may be little solace to take at slipping additional out of the title race.
He might have wanted to area a half-fit Manuel Akanji and John Stones at Villa Park however that doesn’t account for Metropolis trying a shadow of their former selves.
That doesn’t justify the error Josko Gvardiol made to reward Jhon Duran a golden likelihood inside the primary 20 seconds, or £100m man Jack Grealish once more failing to have an effect on a recreation.
There could also be reputable causes for Metropolis’s drop off, whether or not that be accidents, psychological fatigue or simply merely a staff coming to the top of its lifecycle, however their kind, which has plunged off a cliff edge, would have been unthinkable as they strolled to a fourth straight title final season.