Manchester City’s misery continued with a shock 4-0 Premier League rout by Tottenham Hotspur at Etihad Stadium on Saturday, marking the first time in Pep Guardiola’s dazzling managerial career that he has lost five games in a row across all competitions.

James Maddison scored twice in the span of seven first-half minutes, while Pedro Porro netted shortly after the break and Brennan Johnson added a fourth goal deep in added time to end City’s club record run of 52 consecutive home matches unbeaten in all competitions.

City remain second in the table on 23 points but are five points adrift of leaders Liverpool, with the Reds having a game in “In eight years we have never lived this kind of situation. Now we have to live it and break it, winning the next games, especially the next one. Now we see things in one way, maybe in a few weeks we see it differently.”

It was City’s most lopsided loss in their history at Etihad, and their three consecutive league losses are also a first during Guardiola’s eight-plus seasons as boss.

“These are rare days, to come to the champions and especially City considering how they have dominated over the last few years in Europe as well,” Maddison, who celebrated his 28th birthday on Saturday, told Sky Sports.

hand, while Spurs climbed to sixth on 19 points after 12 games.

“In this moment we are fragile defensively,” said Guardiola, who signed a two-year contract extension on Thursday. “We started really well as normal but we could not score and then after that we conceded. After that we conceded some more which is difficult for our emotions right now.

“To come home with four-nil is special, these are the days you remember and I think it’s important we enjoy it.”

Guardiola’s four-time defending champions had 23 shots to Tottenham’s nine and will rue the missed chances, including three in the first half from striker Erling Haaland alone.

But they were all over the place defensively and paid the price in the 13th minute when Maddison sprinted in to side-foot home a beautiful long cross from Dejan Kulusevksi. Maddison doubled the lead seven minutes later when he chipped the ball over grounded goalkeeper Ederson.

Porro put the match out of reach in the 52nd minute when Dominic Solanke cut back the ball for the Spaniard who unleashed a first-time effort past Ederson, and then substitute Johnson added one more in the 93rd minute.

Timo Werner sprinted down the left past Kyle Walker before sending a low cross across the face of the goal that Johnson slid to knock in, watched by City’s shell-shocked fans.

It was the joint-biggest defeat for Guardiola, who had lost 4-0 three previous times, with Real Madrid, Barcelona and with City, in a 4-0 defeat to Everton in 2017.

City last lost a competitive home game by four-plus goals when Arsenal beat them 5-1 in 2003 at Maine Road.

-Reuters

New Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim believes that he is the right man to revive the ailing English giants’ fortunes, as he prepares for his Premier League debut at Ipswich Town on Nov 24.

The 39-year-old was hired from Sporting Lisbon to replace Erik ten Hag, who was sacked after a dismal start to the season left United languishing in 13th place in the table.

Amorim is regarded as one of the brightest young coaches in Europe after leading Sporting to a pair of Portuguese titles during his four years in Lisbon. He left the team this season with a perfect 11 wins.

United, meanwhile, have won just four of their 11 league games this term, extending a malaise that has set in since they last won the Premier League in Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge in 2013.

Asked if he believes he can eventually restore the Red Devils to the summit of English football, Amorim said on Nov 22: “I’m a little bit of a dreamer, I believe in myself. I believe in the club, we have the same mindset.

“I truly believe in the players, I do. I want to try new things. You guys don’t think it’s possible, I do.”

After arriving in Manchester during the international break, he will finally get his first taste of the Premier League when United travel to struggling Ipswich.

He is trying to succeed where David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and ten Hag all failed by bringing the title back to Old Trafford.

The Portuguese is adamant reviving United is not an impossible job, despite a difficult combination of high expectations and underperforming squad.

“Call me naive, but I truly believe that I’m the right guy in the right moment,” he added.

Amorim was speaking to the media for the first time since taking charge on Nov 11.

The packed press conference room at United’s Carrington training ground underlined what he has already started to realise about the size and global reach of the 20-time English champions.

“It’s bigger than I imagined. There’s a lot of departments, it’s so much different than Sporting, and Sporting is a big club in Portugal,” he said. “This you feel is a global club, so you have so much to do.”

His rise has been compared to the early success enjoyed by compatriot Mourinho at Porto.

Mourinho took English football by storm when appointed Chelsea boss in 2004, shortly after guiding Porto to Champions League glory.

“He sent me a message saying it’s a big club with lovely people, and he’s correct, it still is,” Amorim said of Mourinho.

“With all the Portuguese coaches, we’ve shown that we can be the best in the world. I’m different from Mourinho. He was a European champion, I am not.

“Football is different nowadays, I think I am the right person for this moment. I am a young guy and I try to use this to help my players.”

Amorim’s confidence extends to his tactics and he is ready to stick with his preferred 3-4-3 system despite players who might not be suited to the formation.

“I prefer to risk a little bit,” he said. “We will adapt some players because we don’t have the right profile.

“This team was built for a different system. It’s not evolution or revolution, it’s a change in the way we play football.”

Despite having had just two training sessions with his new team because of the international break, Amorim promises fans will see a difference, but not a major overhaul, when they take the Portman Road pitch.

“Simple things I think,” Amorim also said during his lengthy press conference. “We lose the ball too often. We have to be better at running back and we have to be very good in the details.

“We have to improve in a lot of areas. We have to change the physical aspect of the team. I don’t know how long it will take. We have to improve a lot to try to win the title.”

-AFP/ Reuters

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has signed a two-year contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2027, the Premier League champions said on Thursday.

Spaniard Guardiola’s decision means he will spend more than a decade at the club he joined in 2016 and has led to a dazzling array of silverware, including six Premier League titles and one Champions League crown.

The news will be welcomed by City’s fans who might have feared the Guardiola era was drawing to a close with his current deal expiring at the end of this season.

“Manchester City means so much to me,” the 53-year-old, who previously had successful spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, said in a statement.

“This is my ninth season here; we have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club. That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.”

Guardiola joined Abu Dhabi-owned City in 2016 and has turned them into a trophy-winning machine.

He has guided City to 18 major trophies and established a brand of football that is admired across the globe. This season has brought a slight dip in form, however, and they are on a four-match losing streak, the worst since Guardiola arrived.

“I felt I could not leave now, simple as that,” the manager added. “I think we deserve, after four defeats in a row, a chance to bounce back and try to turn the situation around.

“I think we deserve to be here. I am not arrogant to say, but it’s the truth.

“I enjoy being here. I like being the manager of this club. The moment I will not have that feeling, even under contract, I will ring my chairman and CEO and say the best for the club right now is I have to leave,” he added.

“I don’t have that feeling right now and that’s why I extended a little bit longer.”

City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said in a statement, “Like every City fan, I am delighted that Pep’s journey with Manchester City will continue; allowing his dedication, passion and innovative thinking to continue to shape the landscape of the game,”

“His hunger for improvement and success remains insatiable and the direct beneficiaries of that will continue to be our players and coaching staff, the culture of our Club, and the English game at large.”

British media reported on Wednesday that Guardiola had agreed a one-year extension but his tenure will now stretch past a decade is a massive boost for the club which is under investigation for more than 100 alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-year period.

City deny all the charges against them.

They are five points behind leaders Liverpool in the Premier League table but Guardiola sounded an upbeat note.

“I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much,” he said. “Hopefully, now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”

-Reuters