Rio Ferdinand surprised by struggling Manchester City after Juventus loss - 'We haven't seen a Guardiola team this bad'
Published 11/12/2024 at 23:49 GMT
Rio Ferdinand assessed Manchester City's continued decline after they were beaten 2-0 by Juventus at the Allianz Stadium in the UEFA Champions League. Alongside Joleon Lescott, Ferdinand discussed the loss of City's "fear factor" and attempted to pinpoint where things are going wrong for the Premier League champions, who have now won just once in their last 10 matches.
‘They gave everything’ - ‘Proud’ Guardiola happy with Man City performance in Juve loss
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Rio Ferdinand said Pep Guardiola must find a way of "galvanising" his Manchester City team after a 2-0 defeat to Juventus in the UEFA Champions League worsened their torrid run of form.
City succumbed to their seventh loss in 10 games in all competitions, with just one win - a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest - during that period.
Goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie left the Citizens in a precarious position in the Champions League standings, sitting 22nd with just eight points from their six matches so far and a trip to Paris Saint-Germain still to come.
And TNT Sports pundit Ferdinand admitted their rapid fall from grace has been surprising.
"We haven't seen a Pep Guardiola side ever be this bad," said the former Manchester United defender on TNT Sports. "He's got to find a way of galvanising this team.
"It doesn't matter what you've done, anyone can lose confidence and it can really hurt performance and outcomes.
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Highlights: Crisis deepens at City as Juve defeat leaves them on CL brink
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"City fans will be disappointed and Pep and his players will want to improve this, but this is something for young players to look at and see. Players that are put on a pedestal can crack and creak at moments like this. The best players can feel like this.
"There's a positive for other people to take, but for City there's a lot of work behind the scenes now. You're going to find out a lot about the players now.
"It's a nice ride when it's going well, but who's going to help get you back to normality when it's not going well? Pep will learn a lot about his players."
Fellow TNT Sports expert Joleon Lescott suggested City no longer have the "fear factor" that once put opposition teams on the back foot from the off.
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"Teams are being very efficient on the attack," the former City centre-back said. "We talk about the confidence for City but they're also losing the fear factor and that's a big thing.
"When Rio was at United, you went there [to Old Trafford] and it was fear. If they went in front you were in fear, but if that goes it gives confidence to the opposition."
Ferdinand added: "We've never seen dominance go so quickly. Dominant teams like United or Arsenal or Chelsea, I don't think the fear factor was taken out immediately like this.
"Juventus, three months ago, don't approach the game on the front foot like they did today. It's surprising to see."
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‘He’s already tired’ – Laurens questions whether Guardiola can turn Man City fortunes around
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City 'too sentimental', says Laurens
Julien Laurens, speaking on Goals Show Xtra, also weighed in on City's predicament, suggesting certain squad members should have been moved on.
"They’ve been too sentimental with the squad," he said. "I think when you win things like the treble, you stay sentimental with everybody.
"Bernardo Silva should not be here, Walker should not be there anymore. Even for De Bruyne, there’s a question mark over should he still be there, because their legs are gone.
"In the past, they would have got rid of them, reinvested some money in younger, fitter, more energetic players, all the profiles they need that they don’t have anymore."
City face PSG next in the Champions League, before hosting Club Brugge in their final match of the league phase, as they hope to clinch a spot in the play-offs.
TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League across the 2024/25 season. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
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