After draws against Chelsea and Everton, City looked to be getting back to their best when they thrashed Exeter City 10-1 in the FA Cup, before outclassing Newcastle United in a 2-0 Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg victory. But a resounding 2-0 loss at United in the Premier League and then a harrowing 3-1 defeat to Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League has brought them back down to earth. City were without Josko Gvardiola, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Dias, Matheus Nunes and more, and Guardiola referenced that after their midweek loss in Norway. The Spaniard also said his side were too "fragile" in their most recent defeat.
He told BBC Match of the Day: "We arrive in some departments without important players and those that give the consistency to the team and they're a little bit fragile than they were last season in certain periods, but how they fought 10 v 11 and a lot of players making the step up. We have to change the dynamic quickly before the next game against Wolves and then the last game against Galatasaray. We're hoping that the players can come back step by step.
"We have to come back to the feeling that the results since 2025 have not been good - in terms of the Premier League, and now today - but we move forward to Wolves and Galatasaray. We see what happens. Today was an incredible opportunity for us. Everything is - the feeling that it's going wrong, it's going against in many details - you have to try to change it. We were flat for much of the match today."