Pep Guardiola reaches negative milestone after Manchester City's loss against Brighton

Manchester City missed the chance to climb to the top of the Premier League table after a 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on Matchday 11. The loss marked a historic low for Pep Guardiola, who reached an unprecedented milestone in his managerial career.

For the first time, Guardiola has suffered four consecutive losses in his career as a coach. Despite dominating the first half, City failed to maintain their advantage, allowing Brighton to turn the game around in the second half.

In 898 matches across his stints with FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City, Guardiola had never endured such a streak. The last time the City boss got through a similar situation was in April 2018, when his City side lost three consecutive matches—two against Liverpool in the Champions League quarterfinals and one against Manchester United in the Premier League.

Guardiola emphasized after the 4-1 defeat to Sporting Lisbon in the UEFA Champions League that his focus was on lifting the team amid its injury crisis and performance struggles. City’s next match, a Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur on November 23 at the Etihad Stadium, will provide the opportunity to end this dismal run.

Guardiola’s four-game losing streak: A breakdown

In a span of 10 days, City endured four defeats, an unheard-of situation for Guardiola. The streak began in late October when Tottenham Hotspur eliminated City from the Carabao Cup with a 2-1 victory. Days later, Bournemouth stunned the reigning champions with a 2-1 win at the Vitality Stadium, marking the Cherries’ first-ever triumph over City.

Hoping to bounce back in the Champions League, Guardiola’s side traveled to Portugal to face Sporting Lisbon. Despite taking the lead, City crumbled under Viktor Gyokeres’ hat-trick, succumbing to a 4-1 defeat.

The streak culminated at Brighton’s Community Stadium, where City again opened the scoring but faltered in the second half. Brighton’s João Pedro and Matt O’Riley sealed the comeback, with Seagulls boss Fabian Hürzeler, at 31 years old, becoming the youngest coach to defeat Guardiola.

Manchester City’s second-half struggles

A clear pattern has emerged in City’s losses: dominance in the first half, followed by second-half collapses. This was evident in the matches against Sporting Lisbon and Brighton, where City initially took control but lost momentum after halftime.

The absence of Rodri, sidelined with an ACL injury, has left a glaring void in midfield, impacting City’s ability to manage games effectively. Against Brighton, City managed just one shot on target in the second half, further highlighting their struggles.

Over their last three matches, City has conceded six goals while scoring just one. Guardiola will need to address this drop in intensity if his side is to recover from this challenging period and reassert their dominance in domestic and European competitions.