Man City Hit New Low After Arsenal Rout? Guardiola’s Champions in Crisis

“This Feels Like a New Low for Manchester City”

“This feels like a new low for the defending Premier League champions,” said BBC Radio 5 Live commentator John Murray as Manchester City’s latest collapse unfolded at the Emirates Stadium.

The reigning champions suffered a humiliating 5-1 defeat to Arsenal, leaving them 15 points behind league leaders Liverpool. While City’s title hopes had already faded, this latest implosion raises deeper questions about the club’s declining dominance.

Alarming Defensive Record Under Guardiola

For the first time in his managerial career, Pep Guardiola’s team has conceded four or more goals in four different games in a single season.

📉 Goals Conceded This Season: 53 in 36 games
📉 Goals Conceded Last Season: 54 in 59 games

Former City defender Micah Richards summed up the situation on Sky Sports:

“I wouldn’t say it’s the end of an era, but maybe it’s coming to an end.”

What Happened at the Emirates?

City’s fragile defense was exposed once again as Arsenal punished their mistakes in ruthless fashion.

🔹 2’ – Martin Ødegaard capitalized on a defensive error to fire Arsenal ahead.
🔹 55’ – Erling Haaland equalized with a stunning header, briefly reviving City’s hopes.
🔹 57’ – Thomas Partey’s deflected shot restored Arsenal’s lead within 105 seconds.
🔹 62’ – Myles Lewis-Skelly (18 years old) scored his first Arsenal goal, making it 3-1.
🔹 76’ – Kai Havertz added a fourth, making up for an earlier miss.
🔹 84’ – Ethan Nwaneri (17 years old) put the game to bed with a spectacular curling finish.

City crumbled completely in the final half-hour, leading BBC Radio 5 Live summariser Matt Upson to declare:

“Man City are completely broken.”

City’s Growing Defensive Issues

🔹 8 defensive errors leading to goals this season—the most in a single campaign under Guardiola.
🔹 41 points after 24 games – their worst Premier League tally since 2008/09.
🔹 City have lost four of their last six games in all competitions.

“It Swung the Wrong Way for Us” – City Players React

City players acknowledged the scale of the defeat after the final whistle.

John Stones told Sky Sports:

“How we played in the last 30 minutes was not acceptable. We were in the game, but then it completely swung the wrong way for us. I’m angry and upset.”

Guardiola, speaking to BBC Sport, admitted:

“We forgot to do what we should do. It’s happened all season. We are giving away too many things. We are aware this cannot happen, but it happened.”

No Signs of a Turnaround for City

City’s dramatic fall from dominance is even more shocking considering their recent achievements.

2022-23 Treble Winners – Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League.
Unbeaten in 32 consecutive Premier League games until November 2023.
Four consecutive Premier League titles in six seasons.

Yet, since late October, their form has spiraled downward.

City’s Worst Moments This Season

4-1 defeat to Sporting (Champions League)
2-1 derby loss to Man United
4-0 home humiliation vs Tottenham
Blowing a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord

Even before this Arsenal hammering, their only defeat of 2024 had been a Champions League loss to PSG. However, this latest result confirms that no real progress has been made.

What’s Next for Guardiola’s City?

City face Real Madrid in the Champions League play-offs, but given their current defensive frailties, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Jr will be licking their lips at the prospect of facing them.

Adding further uncertainty, City are still awaiting their punishment for 115 alleged breaches of Premier League rules—a cloud that continues to loom over the club.

Final Thoughts: Is This the End of an Era?

Guardiola’s dominant City era is under real threat.

Defensive errors piling up.
No clear tactical solutions.
Inconsistent performances in the league and Europe.

City remain fourth in the Premier League, but Newcastle, Chelsea, and Bournemouth are all within a single point of them.

With Liverpool pulling away at the top and Arsenal overtaking them as challengers, Manchester City must find answers fast—or risk an irreversible decline.