Premier League: City Continues to Fall

Manchester City, the defending champions, continued their downward spiral, losing 2-1 away to Aston Villa on Saturday in the 17th round of the English Premier League. This marked their ninth defeat in their last 12 matches across all competitions.

At Villa Park, where they lost 1-0 last December in a match that sparked their unbeaten run for the rest of the season, City entered the game on the back of a 2-1 home loss to neighbors Manchester United in the previous round and a 2-0 defeat to Juventus in the Champions League.

However, Pep Guardiola’s side showed no reaction and left Villa Park with their sixth defeat in the last eight league games. This complicated their bid to win the league title for the fifth consecutive season, as they remain stuck at 27 points, dropping from fifth to sixth place behind Aston Villa, who are now one point ahead.

City could slip further down the table if Bournemouth (25 points) defeats Manchester United on Sunday. They could also fall 12 points behind league leaders Liverpool, with the latter having a game in hand, provided the Reds beat Tottenham on Sunday in London.

Guardiola appears unable to lift his players’ morale, also impacted by a series of injuries. City made six changes to the lineup compared to their loss to United, with Stefan Ortega, Rico Lewis, John Stones, Manuel Akanji, Mateo Kovačić, and Jack Grealish starting. Meanwhile, Kevin De Bruyne, Jérémy Doku, and Kyle Walker were on the bench.

After the match, Guardiola told TNT Sports: “We played well in the first half but dropped off in the second… Congratulations to Aston Villa. Keep it up.”

When asked about regaining confidence, he said: “Step by step. We have players with good character, and sooner or later, we’ll find it [confidence].” He acknowledged the need to adjust his approach, saying, “I have to do it and support my players. That’s what will make the difference.”

City struggled early, almost falling behind within seconds when goalkeeper Ortega denied a one-on-one chance from Colombia’s Jhon Durán after a defensive error by Joško Gvardiol. Ortega later tipped a header from Belgium’s Amadou Onana over the bar following a corner.