Pep Guardiola and Man City slammed for ‘ageing badly’ as Spanish press raise questions over whether ‘lost’ manager could QUIT after humbling by Real Madrid, with players ‘making his bed’
Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City stars were ripped into by Spanish press after the side capitulated during a 3-2 defeat by Real Madrid on Tuesday night.
City looked poised to arrive in the Spanish capital next week with a one-goal lead after Erling Haaland successfully converted his 80th-minute penalty following a foul on Phil Foden.
The strike, the Norwegian’s second of the game came after Kylian Mbappe had restored parity for Real Madrid in fortuitous fashion. The hosts then conceded twice in the final four minutes at the Etihad, as the visitors sealed all three points.
In the wake of Madrid’s stunning win, Spanish press heaped praise on the side the following morning – while also taking aim at the Premier League champions.
Spanish outlet Sport had the headline ‘Stick to Pep’ before writing: ‘Haaland put his team ahead twice but City once again let the game slip’.
Their back page showed City defender Josko Gvardiol with his head in his hands as Madrid’s stars wildly celebrated in the background.
Manchester City fell to a 3-2 defeat against Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday
Afterwards, City were mocked by Spanish press – with this headline saying ‘Stick to Pep’
Meanwhile, Mundo Deportivo labelled Pep Guardiola’s side as ‘fragile’ after the defeat
Meanwhile, one of the outlet’s columnists wrote that ‘City has aged Guardiola badly’ and further suggested that the squad’s players are also on the decline.
In the column, it read: ‘A group of players who are too old, incapable of keeping up with the pace demanded in Europe.’
In another piece written by the outlet, it was claimed that Guardiola was ‘lost’ amid City’s poor form and suggested that the side could not overturn their struggles.
It read: ‘It seems that the players are making Pep’s bed, or at least it seems that the dressing room no longer has enough strength to turn the team around and continue winning as they have done until now’.
Elsewhere, Mundo Deportivo opted to focus on other matters but did still find space to claim that City showed their fragility on the night.
They wrote: ‘A fragile City gives away the triumph. They went ahead twice with Haaland but made mistakes at the back.’
In a separate piece written by the outlet, similarly to Sport, they took aim at Guardiola amid a difficult few months for the Spaniard.
They claimed the City boss had showed ‘signs of despondency and fatigue in recent months’ and that the side had ‘have fallen into the abyss, both in England and in Europe’.
Outlets in Spain claimed that Guardiola is now ‘lost’ at City amid their struggling form
Multiple outlets were quick to heap praise on Madrid and mock City’s capitulation
Another outlet, AS, had the headline: ‘This is how Madrid wins!’
They added: ‘Ancelotti’s side run over City in their best away game in years Bellingham’s stoppage-time goal brings justice’.
Finally, Marca had the headline: ‘Bravo Madrid! Mbappe, Brahim and Bellingham neutralise Haaland’s two goals’.
Meanwhile, French newspaper L’Equipe pulled no punches by handing several Manchester City stars brutal ratings.
L’Equipe, who have been known for their harsh player ratings, highlighted several underperforming players in the Man City line-up.
Erling Haaland scored twice on the night but was unable to prevent City’s defeat to Madrid
Bernardo Silva’s display was given a particularly harsh critique, with the midfielder handed a 3/10 for his performance, the lowest mark of the starters.
‘The Portuguese player had a poor game, winning only 17% of his duels (1/6), recovering only 3 balls and causing 3 fouls, including the well-placed free kick that led to Kylian Mbappe’s equaliser,’ L’Equipe wrote.
‘He could also have been given a yellow card for a charge on Jude Bellingham (89th), which surprisingly was not whistled.’
City boss Guardiola was given a 4/10 for his management of the match, with goalkeeper Ederson, defender Ruben Dias and winger Savinho given the same rating for their performances on the field.
