Man City collapse: 'Major new Etihad concern as Guardiola goes full Mourinho'

Pep Guardiola may well be causing some serious concern for those at Man City amid the club’s disastrous dip in form.

The Spaniard recently signed a new two-year contract at The Etihad, reiterating his commitment to the Premier League champions even if they are relegated over the 115 financial charges they face.

On the pitch though things are going from bad to worse for Guardiola and his side, following a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday (1st December).

It is now seven games without a win for Man City, and they have only even drawn once in that time, when they threw away a 3-0 lead over Feyenoord in the Champions League in midweek.

However, one particular aspect of this recent run that will be concerning for those at The Etihad, are some of the moments Guardiola himself has delivered before and after games.

Pep Guardiola flashpoints may be a worry for Man City

There can be no denying that this will have been a difficult period for the 53-year-old, especially given he is in uncharted territory when it comes to such winless runs.

It certainly seems as though he is taking it hard as well, appearing with scratches on his face after his side’s collapse against Feyenoord, explaining them by saying he wanted to “harm himself”.

Whatever way it is looked at, that does not feel like a good sign when it comes to the way the Man City boss is viewing the situation he and his team find themselves in.

Both during and after the defeat to Liverpool, Guardiola was spotted holding up six fingers to the crowd in response to “sacked in the morning” chants from the home fans [Sky Sports].

It was a reminder of the number of Premier League titles the Spaniard has already won, and felt very reminiscent of his old foe Jose Mourinho.

The former Chelsea, Man United and Tottenham manager has infamously imploded more than once when under pressure at a club and, in an apparent attempt to deflect that scrutiny has been known to refer to his own past successes in this exact way [Sky Sports Retro].

With Guardiola now doing the same, it certainly seems to indicate that the Man City boss is now understandably feeling some pressure with his side’s current situation.

That people may see similarities between what he is doing and what Mourinho previously did is going to be a worry, given such periods for the Special One tended to mean the beginning of the end and usually finished with him moving on.

Jose Mourinho left Man United after very similar behaviour

Such a situation may therefore generate questions about Guardiola’s own future at The Etihad, if there are any doubts over his ability to arrest a slide he has never before experienced.

Right now, the club will want to focus on putting things right when it comes to results on the pitch after such an unprecedented period.

Any growing uncertainty around Guardiola from his recent behaviour may filter down to the Man City squad if they find themselves wondering what is going on with a previously such reliable manager.

As a starting point belief in the Catalan will be high thanks to his incredible record, but it could become harder for his player to focus on issues on the pitch if they feel they have those questions hanging over them.

With that in mind, there is certainly an argument to be made that some of what we have seen from Guardiola in recent days, could create another issue for Man City to deal with in an already tough period.

In other news, Man City fans have laid into Phil Foden after their side’s defeat to Liverpool.

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