Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola saw his squad have only two shots against Aston Villa, the fewest ever by a team managed by him.
City were well outplayed by Villa in a 1-0 defeat away from home on Wednesday evening. The Premier League winners had only two shots on goal, the fewest ever by a Guardiola-managed squad. According to Opta, Villa faced the joint-most shots of any Guardiola team in his career.
City has struggled in recent weeks, failing to win three of their past four games. Following draws with Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham, the defeat to Villa leaves them six points behind leaders Arsenal. They are currently two points behind fourth-placed Villa, who has jumped ahead of them in the rankings.
City’s two attempts came within seconds of each other, with Erling Haaland seeing a shot and then a header saved by Emiliano Martinez. The champs failed to challenge the opponent goalie after the 11th minute, and Leon Bailey’s goal proved crucial.
The champions must refocus their efforts. They haven’t gone four games without a win since before Guardiola took over as manager. They play Luton Town this weekend and will be looking to snap their losing skid.
