Manchester City have fallen to yet another defeat, losing 4-0 to Tottenham Hotspur.
Pep Guardiola signed a contract extension earlier this week, but it was not enough to inspire the players at the Etihad Stadium.
City were extremely poor, and once again missed Rodri – presented to the fans with his Ballon d’Or before the game – badly.
James Maddison scored two for the visitors, with goals then coming in the second-half from Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson in injury-time.
It was an awful day at the office for City, with this result potentially being the club’s worst of the season to date.
After the game, Pep Guardiola made a stark admission about Manchester City after a fifth straight defeat.
Pep Guardiola admits Man City are ‘fragile’ after shambolic Tottenham defeat
Guardiola spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live after the chastening 4-0 defeat to Spurs.
He would have been desperately hoping to speak about a first victory in five attempts. But it was just a pitiful performance from City, and the Spaniard has many issues to sort out at the moment.
The defensive struggles are not lost on the Manchester City manager, who said after the game (via BBC Sport): “In this moment we are fragile defensively. We started really well as normal but we could not score and then after that we conceded. After that, we conceded some more which is difficult for our emotions right now.
“In eight years we have never lived this kind of situation. Now we have to live it and break it winning the next games, especially the next one. Now we see things in one way, maybe in a few weeks we see it differently.
“Chances were there. The moment they create the chances the build-up, we couldn’t handle the duels like normally. Now we’re struggling a little bit.
“It cannot happen. When you play top level teams we can concede chances but it’s part of the process. In our situation, it’s a bit tougher.
“I have to see the situation. The players came back late [from internationals]. There were a few reasons we’re not able to be consistent. Now the balance is not in the right moment. But it happened.”
Man City have lost their fear factor
So it’s another defeat for City and this really is unchartered territory for the club under Guardiola.
The issues have been well documented recently, with the midfield coming under the microscope the most.
| 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 |  ChelseaChelsea | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 19 |
| 4 |  ArsenalArsenal | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 19 |
| 5 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 19 |
| 6 |  BrightonBrighton | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 19 | 15 | 4 | 19 |
But City just generally appear to have lost their fear factor at the moment. This game was set up for City to bounce back, with Guardiola extending his contract in midweek and Rodri being present at the Stadium with his Ballon d’Or.
But City look to be playing with a bit of fear at the moment, and usually, they are the ones striking fear into their opponents.
The injury situation has not helped at all and the January window cannot come quick enough.
