- Defending champions dropping points
- Have gone four games without a win
- Could still end 2023 with another trophy
Getty'We are struggling' - Pep Guardiola says he's looking for solutions after Man City post unwanted records in defeat to Aston Villa

Virgin Media
✅ Combines superfast home broadband and live Premier League broadcasting into a single household bill.
✅ Allows you to bolt TNT Sports onto an existing TV package on a 31-day rolling basis for around £25 a month.
✅ Broadband-only customers can use the free Stream box to add and drop the Sky Sports HD pack on a 30-day rolling basis.

EE
✅ The "Sport Plus" tier bundles both Sky Sports (via NOW) and TNT Sports into one seamless package to cover all 267 televised matches.
✅ Allows you to upgrade or downgrade your TV tier each month without breaking your 24-month broadband contract.
✅ Includes the Apple TV 4K or EE TV Box Pro for high-end viewing and easy multi-room streaming setups.

HBO Max
✅ Streams all 52 TNT Sports matches, making it the exclusive home for the early 12:30 pm Saturday fixtures.
✅ Provides exclusive coverage of select full midweek matchdays.
✅ Combines live Premier League football with premium HBO shows and Warner Bros movies in a single app ecosystem.

NOW
✅ Streams the entire Sky Sports Premier League catalogue over the internet to smart TVs and mobile devices without a satellite dish or installation wait.
✅ Offers 31-day rolling contracts (for £34.99/month) so you can cancel during the summer off-season.
✅ Offers 24-hour Day Memberships for £14.99 if you only want to watch a single specific derby or match.
Virgin Media
✅ Combines superfast home broadband and live Premier League broadcasting into a single household bill.
✅ Allows you to bolt TNT Sports onto an existing TV package on a 31-day rolling basis for around £25 a month.
✅ Broadband-only customers can use the free Stream box to add and drop the Sky Sports HD pack on a 30-day rolling basis.

EE
✅ The "Sport Plus" tier bundles both Sky Sports (via NOW) and TNT Sports into one seamless package to cover all 267 televised matches.
✅ Allows you to upgrade or downgrade your TV tier each month without breaking your 24-month broadband contract.
✅ Includes the Apple TV 4K or EE TV Box Pro for high-end viewing and easy multi-room streaming setups.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The reigning champions – who collected a historic Treble in 2022-23 – have dropped points against Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Aston Villa. A 1-0 defeat was suffered at Villa Park last time out, with City now sat fourth in the table – six points back on leaders Arsenal but with time still very much on their side when it comes to successfully defending a domestic crown.
GettyWHAT GUARDIOLA SAID
Guardiola said after seeing his side come undone in the West Midlands: “The better team won. I said to the players: ‘In football, this happens. I know you wanted to win, I know you tried, because you have proved to me and everyone many, many times.’ Now the results are not so good when they always were [previously]. I have to think about it. I have to sleep, to reflect, I have to see the games, how the players [did] with this one and try to do it. It was really difficult because they are really physical and able to control many aspects. That is the reason why they are up there, playing good football and we could not do it. It’s my duty, my job to find a way to come back from the situation because over many years together we were able to find a way to play games – sometimes playing good, sometimes not but always we found a way to do it – and now we are struggling. We have to change the dynamic.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
City had just two shots against Villa – the fewest a side managed by Guardiola has ever managed – while Villa fired in 22. Leon Bailey’s deflected effort proved to be the difference on the day, with the visitors left to reflect on records that they would rather not be posting.
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY?
Nobody is writing City off just yet and they could still end 2023 with another trophy to their name, with Guardiola’s side set to jet off for FIFA Club World Cup duty after taking in Premier League meetings with Luton and Crystal Palace and a final Champions League group stage clash with Crvena zvezda.
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting



