Man City's crisis: What's really going on and what Guardiola can learn from Mourinho's playbook

Some football officials were taken aback by Pep Guardiola's scrapes, despite the widespread criticism.This even extended to Liverpool's elite ranks, which Manchester City will meet on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola.

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The situation was uncommon, but not surprising given the current circumstances.The 3-3 home loss to Feyenoord highlighted City's consistent performance. Guardiola has experienced his worst league defeat, his worst sequence of defeats (four turned into five), and his first game in which one of his teams blew a three-goal lead. Despite having a 3-0 lead over Feyenoord at home, the team continued to make costly mistakes. Those at Liverpool have compared it to Jurgen Klopp's 2022-23 season, which he felt he couldn't leave as his final season at the club. The same club has the potential to exacerbate City's situation. They perceive an opportunity.

Almost everyone who is now competing against the champs does the same. It contributes to this stunning sensation regarding City's shape. Every time you think things couldn't get any worse, it does. That alone has shaken trust, exacerbating the situation.

As much as Liverpool are comparing it to Klopp, the closest similarity is Jose Mourinho's 2015-16 season at Chelsea. Antonio Conte refers to it as "the Mourinho season". For all that the Portuguese have fallen since then, one of the reasons that moment was so shocking was because Mourinho had never been so vulnerable in his career. He was still seen as Guardiola's main adversary at the top of the game, with his teams impenetrable while the Catalans were unstoppable. Both had a sense of invulnerability.

No more. Nine years later, Guardiola is going through what Mourinho did, but there seems to be more to it.

It's not simply about a legendary manager's past reputation. It is also about what City represents as a club. As a state project that had subjected English football to the most severe period of domination ever witnessed, a decline like this seemed unthinkable.

City appeared too well-run, rich, and architecturally arrogant.

Surprisingly, the nature of the project may have allowed for this. The Abu Dhabi takeover occurred at the start of Guardiola's first season at Barcelona, in 2008-09, making it obvious that the new City leadership would strive to replicate the most respected team in the game. They rapidly realized that it wasn't just about hiring Guardiola, but also about transforming the club into his vision, so he had everything he needed to succeed.

If he is successful, that would be extremely fruitful. If he is experiencing frequent defeat for the first time, it becomes more of an issue. The manager is responsible for so many things.

The build-up to Guardiola's contract renewal had already raised the possibility that it was time to examine alternatives, that even such a dynamic football thinker might become stale.

Now it appears that the manner in which City rightly pampered Guardiola has had unintended repercussions. The Catalan has always insisted on small squads because he wants his players to be mentally groomed, which is OK as long as the group remains healthy.

Rodri's unlucky injury appears to have precipitated the disintegration of an already tightly wound squad. Any team would miss a Ballon d'Or winner, but it should not have resulted in such a drop-off. It should not have resulted in an Eredivisie team putting three past you with 15 minutes remaining, after conceding four to Sporting and Tottenham Hotspur. The notion of a perfect storm has been exacerbated by injuries to other prominent talents such as Ruben Dias, which means that the majority of the important players remaining are nearing or over the age of 30.

That causes more problems than just a lack of effort, or Kevin De Bruyne being sent to the bench as Ilkay Gundogan tries to sprint back.

It leaves a group that have primarily worked under Guardiola for years, with all of the associated risks. This is where the analogies to Mourinho's final Chelsea season may be most significant. The Portuguese discovered that his players were burnt out as a result of his passion, thus he no longer had the same impact. Guardiola has always had a respect-hate connection with his players, which may be similar. He is not warm, and his intensity, which is more internalised than Mourinho's, can be irritating.

It became so terrible during City's treble season that he had to hold a meeting to clear the air. The players were won over, as they nearly always are, because they understand that Guardiola is a genius who will help them further their careers. However, this can only last so long, especially if the same players have previously won everything. The dynamic might also continue in the other direction. It was remarkable how Guardiola's overly emotional reaction to Feyenoord's opening goal freaked out his squad. That did not make the players feel at ease. A earlier certainty melted into blunders, such as Ederson's hasty exit.

All of these might be one of the reasons Guardiola is unable to halt this situation right now, and why they are even lacking their key idea of pushing with ferocity. He desperately needs some of his key players back, which he may receive with Ruben Dias' return on Sunday.

That is really essential, and this is Manchester City. There is still a sense that they can respond and go for a run, but it is tough not to question whether something else is going on. The Premier League hearing has implications for City's whole season. That cannot be disregarded forever. The buildup to Sunday's game has resulted in further stories about how the hearing would not be completed until the middle of December.

Regardless of what players say publicly, such gossip has made its way into the locker room. Has this begun to effect them? How has it influenced business? It is notable that, in a transfer window before a season in which they may be relegated, City's only activity was to add one player from their ownership group, Savinho, and a former star, Gundogan. Is this why the squad hasn't been renewed as much as needed?

Potential signees will now think twice. One high-profile prospect who considered City informed his camp that the environment there "is too fluid". Could this be a problem if they attempt to spend in January?

A lot of this is nearly too much to think about right now. Guardiola's concerns are far more pressing and intriguing in their own right.

One of the game's historic geniuses must think his way out of a problem he has never encountered before. That was what Mourinho discovered in 2015-16, but it is still unprecedented. That's why Guardiola feels it so strongly. 

Liverpool, who are in superb form, have the potential to make matters worse on Sunday. It was already one of the most important games of the season. It may now comprise the season's story.