Man City boss Guardiola fears title race ends with Anfield defeat

Pep Guardiola admitted that Manchester City are inside their own heads after the english Premier League champions lost an unprecedented fifth straight game.

Tottenham Hotspur stunned City 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium last Saturday, with James Maddison netting a brace – a result that hands a major title advantage to Liverpool.

Manchester City go to Anfield next Sunday and could be 11 points behind Arne Slot’s leaders were they to lose again on Merseyside. It’s the worst run of form in Guardiola’s managerial career and City’s heaviest home defeat in 21 years.

“In eight years we have never lived this kind of situation,” Guardiola said. ‘Now we have to live it and break it by winning the next games, especially the next one. Now we see things in one way, maybe in a few weeks we see it differently.

“We’re a bit fragile, that is obvious. We struggled to score and then we’re playing in our thoughts a little bit of negativity.

“There were a few reasons we're not able to be consistent. Now the balance is not in the right moment. But it happened. We have to do it, talk and on Tuesday against Feyenoord (in the Champions League) have the chance to try. Hopefully the players can follow me.”

Asked if the title has gone if they do slip 11 points behind Liverpool, Guardiola replied: “Yep. In terms of Liverpool winning, winning, yep.”