Manchester City: Is Pep Guardiola right to be relaxed about six-game winless streak?

Manchester City have gone six games without a win after losing to rivals Manchester United on Wednesday. Pep Guardiola is rather nonchalant about any such run, but is he right to be?

Manchester City lost to Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup. Both teams really needed a win going into the game, but only one manager seemed to agree with that assessment. Jose Mourinho put out his strongest United lineup.

Whilst Pep Guardiola decided to play a mixed starting XI primarily made up of youngsters and reserve players. Worried about a potential sixth game without a win? Eager to score a win and return to winning ways? Obviously not.

Even after the game, Guardiola seemed content enough with giving some youngsters a chance and getting some game time into the legs of some less-used players. A six-game winless streak? Meh.

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But is Guardiola right to be so casual about City’s current form? So sure it is nothing more than a meaningless, passing phase? When you look at the six games in question, you can see why Guardiola might be so cool about things.

The whole run began with a 3-3 draw against Celtic. A game that looked more like the lackadaisical City of last season. The mentality was all wrong. The City players thought they would blow Celtic away. You could see it by the lack of energy and and intensity from the kick off and they got burned.

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However, lackadaisical is easily fixed. It’s a mindset. Next up came Tottenham at White Hart Lane. A game City were thoroughly outplayed in. The first game in the run that should concern Guardiola at least a little bit.

Next, City played out a 1-1 draw with Everton. Guardiola’s men should have won by four or five goals, but missed two penalties on their way to a disappointing draw. There was nothing negative to conclude from the game, other than take your chances. Any other day it finishes 4-1.

After Everton, City travelled to play Barcelona in the Nou Camp. City lost 4-0, but the scoreline does not tell the story of the game. City controlled Barcelona’s usually ultra sharp attack and only an unfortunate slip from Fernandinho in the penalty box gifted Barcelona an opening goal.

Even after that, City held their own against the Spanish giants. Until Claudio Bravo got himself sent off, that is. From then on, as you would expect, Barcelona dominated and run away with the game. But once again, City, not their opponents, are doing the most damage to themselves.

A 1-1 draw against Southampton followed in their most recent Premier League game. John Stones has been magnificent so far this season, but the centre-back cost his team big in this game. Playing a sloppy back pass into open space, Nathan Redmond latched on to it and finished to open the scoring.

City came from behind to snatch a draw with a goal from Kelechi Iheanacho. But again, City had shot themselves in the foot. Not the opposition. Not because they have any deep-rooted problem. And not because they were outplayed.

Individual errors are costing City enormously right now and they have to stop. However, that is probably why Guardiola is nonplussed about things. Individual errors come and go. It’s just a phase where City are having far too many right now.

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The only real big differences from the first 10 games where City won ten games in succession, to now and not winning in six, is the scoreline and the individual errors. Other than that – Spurs game aside – there’s no real huge difference.

And if this is purely a phase, then Guardiola will be proved right and wonder what all the fuss was ever about. However, if it’s more than just a phase, then the City boss might have more of a problem on his hands than he realizes.