'Fear factor is gone' - Pep Guardiola fired stark warning about his Man City side after hugely underwhelming start to new Premier League campaign

Premier League legend Alan Shearer claimed that Guardiola's City are no longer invincible as their opponents now believe that they can beat the former champions. The downfall started last season, following Rodri's ACL injury that kept him out of action for the majority of the 2024-25 campaign. The midfielder's absence deeply hurt the Cityzens as they lost nine league games, the most in the Guardiola era, and finished 13 points behind champions Liverpool. 

After making major changes to the squad in January and the summer transfer window, City hoped that they would kick off the new season with renewed enthusiasm. They started the campaign with a thumping 4-0 win over Wolves in their season opener, but faltered against Spurs and Brighton.

Speaking to Betfair, the Newcastle icon said: "I wouldn't say Pep has lost his touch, but I'd say his team have lost that rhythm of winning. There's no doubt that last season has hurt and damaged them and they're easier to get through than they were two seasons ago. We saw what the injury to Rodri did to them last year and there's no doubt their confidence took a hit. I also think that the fear factor may have gone because of what happened last year. Teams have realised that they're not unbeatable, they can win if they attack Man City, you can score goals if you have the belief that you can take them on. Maybe 18 months ago, teams were scared of City, reluctant to go at them and prepared to sit deep and soak up pressure. Now, teams believe that they can go up against Man City and beat them."

The Cityzens will be back in action in the Premier League on Sunday as they host rivals Manchester United in a derby clash at Etihad Stadium. It could be an early-must win match for Guardiola and Co.