Pep Guardiola on Worst Managerial Run but Can Take Positives from Derby Loss

For the first time in his managerial career, Pep Guardiola has gone six matches without a victory, as his much-changed Manchester City side lost out in a tight encounter at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup. The 1-0 defeat to Manchester United left him with questions to answer, though there were some mitigating circumstances in the loss.

While City’s team was strong enough to have won the tie, it was notably not the best XI available. Youngsters Aleix Garcia and Pablo Maffeo were given the chance to impress from the off, which they undoubtedly did, while Willy Caballero, Vincent Kompany, Fernando, Leroy Sane and Jesus Navas all made rare starts, as Guardiola made nine changes against a nearly full-strength United.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, though, the manager showed no sign of regret at his selection: “I’m proud of the young players and how they played. At that level, you need to be more clinical with the last pass, but it’s difficult against United. We are happy. I want to try to win, but now we’ll focus on the next competitions.”

Clearly, the EFL Cup isn’t top of the Catalan’s priorities. A defeat in any Manchester derby can smart, however, and perhaps a few might think he misjudged the tone of the fixture given how seriously his rivals took the game.

Each manager was under pressure and in need of a victory at kick-off, but the lineups suggested Jose Mourinho was the more desperate for it, even though Guardiola was threatened by his worst managerial run.

The result means the City boss is likely to garner no small amount of attention, and it’s easy to suggest his side are heading towards a crisis—even if that’s something of a media buzzword these days.

However, despite the loss, there is still little for the Catalan to worry about. His team remains top of the Premier League, and, despite a month-long wobble, they are also in good stead for qualification in the knockout phase of the Champions League.

Perhaps the form guide gives him more to ponder rather than any big worries.

Afterwards, he didn’t seem too concerned and shrugged it off. “Yeah, it’s six games—not a good situation—but we are out of one competition. We have three still,” reported Rob Pollard of the club’s official website. “We are going to see. I [am] happy with the players, and we are going to try in the future.”

That it was an even contest at Old Trafford for nearly an hour is another positive for the City boss given the lineups, though it has to be …

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