Crisis: Pep Guardiola scratches his nose and head

After the next setback in an ever-growing crisis, Manchester City and coach Pep Guardiola were booed and whistled by their own fans. The star coach can understand the reaction of the supporters after the sobering 3-3 draw in the Champions League against Feyenoord Rotterdam despite a 3-0 lead. “They are disappointed, of course we understand that. They absolutely have the right to show how they feel,” said the Spaniard, who is experiencing the biggest lull in results of his coaching career and is worried about direct progress in the premier football league.

Before the Feyenoord match, City had lost five competitive games in a row – and the draw also felt like a defeat. The English led 3-0 in their own stadium until the 75th minute before they conceded three more goals. “We have lost a lot of games recently, we are fragile,” analyzed Guardiola. “I don’t know if it’s a mental thing.”

The coach even suffered physical scratches from the game; after the final whistle, a small wound was visible on his nose. From the moment he conceded the first goal, he repeatedly hit his head and face in frustration, injuring himself with his fingernail. “I wanted to hurt myself,” he joked afterwards.

The Citizens’ situation is no laughing matter. According to the statistics service Opta, Guardiola lost a 3-0 lead for the first time in his coaching career; something like this had not happened to City since 1989. The BBC calculated that the club conceded at least two goals per match in six consecutive games for the first time since 1963.

Instead of climbing into the top third of the Champions League table with a win, the 2023 title holders remain in midfield and are in danger of missing out on direct qualification for the round of 16.

And the next tasks are tough again: At the weekend, City will be visiting the sovereign league leaders Liverpool FC in the Premier League. In the Champions League, Guardiola and his protégés have to go to Juventus Turin and Paris Saint-Germain in December and January. “But I’m not thinking about that right now,” said the coach after the Feyenoord disappointment. “We have to recover and prepare for the next game. If we are not able to win games like this today then it will be very difficult.”