Manchester City crashed to their fourth straight defeat on Saturday against Brighton in the Premier League.
It’s official – Manchester City have now entered a mini-crisis.
It is only the second time that Pep Guardiola has suffered four losses in a row, and the Spaniard has plenty to mull over during the international break.
City took the lead against Brighton through Erling Haaland, having started the game very positively.
But there was a complete loss of control in the second-half, and more poor defending ended up proving costly, with Joao Pedro and Matt O’Riley turning the game for Brighton to give them a 2-1 win.
City fans are alarmed over what they are seeing right now, and Micah Richards believes he knows what the main issue is.
Micah Richards claims Man City aren’t pressing as a team anymore
It was another deserved defeat for City at the Amex Stadium.
The players just couldn’t get a foothold in the second-half, with Brighton much improved and a much greater threat.
Micah Richards was on Match of the Day last night, and shared his thoughts as to why City are struggling right now.
For him, it is the fact that City are no longer pressing effectively as a unit.
He said: “The most defining thing for me is they are not pressing anymore. And when they are pressing, they are going as individuals.
“When you lose the best midfielder in Europe, it is always going to have a strain on your team. But they are just too easy to play through at this moment in time.
“I think young Pusey at the back did really well, especially against Sporting. He had a couple of moments where it was difficult for him, but I think they are playing as a team of individuals at this moment in time.”
Pep Guardiola also had praise for Jahmai Simpson-Pusey despite the loss, saying the youngster was ‘really good’ against Brighton.
Plenty for Pep to ponder
Without a doubt, City have become worse at having control of games.
It has all gotten a little bit chaotic without Rodri, but the problem is bigger than just missing the Spaniard.
Richards is right, the pressing doesn’t appear to be as fluid as before, and some players appear to be second-guessing themselves.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 6 | 15 | 28 |
| 2 |  Man CityManchester City | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 23 |
| 3 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 19 |
| 4 |  BrightonBrighton | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 19 | 15 | 4 | 19 |
| 5 |  ChelseaChelsea | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 12 | 8 | 18 |
| 6 |  ArsenalArsenal | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 18 |
With Liverpool beating Aston Villa in the late kick-off on Saturday, Guardiola now has much to ponder over the international break.
The gap has now increased to five points, and it is paramount that it gets no bigger once club football returns.
Arne Slot has made a very impressive start at Anfield, and it looks like the Reds could be genuine challengers, which not many expected after Jurgen Klopp departed.
