Gary Neville delivers heavy verdict on Man City following heavy loss to Spurs

Gary Neville has described Manchester City’s current struggles as their poorest run of form since Pep Guardiola’s first season in charge.

His comments followed City’s humiliating 4-0 home defeat to Tottenham, marking Guardiola’s biggest home league loss during his eight-year tenure.

The reigning Premier League champions are enduring an unprecedented losing streak, with five consecutive defeats across all competitions.

This slump has left them five points adrift of league leaders Liverpool, a gap that could extend to eight points depending on Liverpool’s performance against Southampton.

Reflecting on City’s decline, Neville drew parallels to Guardiola’s debut season when City finished 15 points off the top, their only season under Guardiola outside the top two.

“We’ve seen City lose the odd game here, but we’ve very rarely seen them outplayed in every department, but that’s what we’re watching,” he said.

He further criticized the team’s lack of sharpness: “They look well short. As short as I’ve seen them since Pep’s first season. I’ve not seen them as bad as this, how they’ve been in the last few weeks.”

The loss to Tottenham followed a poor November for City, which included defeats to Brighton and Sporting, both prior to the international break.

Despite their illustrious achievements in recent years, Neville noted that City have become “easy to play against,” with their vulnerabilities now evident to opponents.

City’s ongoing struggles signal a significant departure from their usual dominance, raising questions about their ability to recover and maintain their competitive edge.