Manchester City crashed to a 4-1 defeat against Sporting CP last night in the Champions League.
Manchester City slipped to a third straight loss in all competitions, with fans now very concerned about the situation.
City were all at sea in the second-half at the Estádio José Alvalade, with the defence unable to handle Sporting’s movement and speed.
The midfield also really struggled once again with the transitions.
City needed to respond after losing to Bournemouth and started the game well, with Phil Foden scoring early on.
But the warning signs were there when Viktor Gyokeres raced through but missed a one-vs-one opportunity.
The Swede didn’t fail later on, as he levelled before half-time. Gyokeres finished the game with a hat-trick to his name, and Max Araujo also scored for the hosts, in what was a statement win for Ruben Amorim.
It was truly a night to forget for City, but fans are picking the bones out of the game – and some do not like one Pep Guardiola decision.
Man City fans criticise Pep Guardiola for putting Kevin De Bruyne on vs Sporting
Last night, City fans got to see Kevin De Bruyne for the first time in a couple of months.
The Belgian has been on the sidelines since he had to come off with an injury against Inter in the first Champions League game.
There has been a bit of mystery about De Bruyne’s injury, because the player has been in training for quite a while, but only made the bench again at the weekend against Bournemouth. Guardiola said De Bruyne might have actually played against Bournemouth, but seemingly the conditions weren’t right.
But he felt the conditions were right last night, as he put De Bruyne on for the closing stages.
Some fans did not like that decision.
De Bruyne did not really do anything of note when he came on against Sporting, attempting a few through balls that did not find their intended targets.
It was clear to see that he had not played in a while.
A strange call
Given City were 4-1 down in the game, it felt like a strange call for Guardiola to put De Bruyne on when he did.
Perhaps the Manchester City manager was keen to just get some minutes into his legs.
But De Bruyne did not look particularly pleased to be coming on, and there have been suggestions that he is still not completely ready to play.
Hopefully, there is nothing going on behind the scenes, and De Bruyne can help to pull City out of their current predicament.
City have another tough game coming up against Brighton, and a win against the Seagulls would just help to settle things down a bit heading into the international break.
