I know why — Guardiola finds the root cause of Man City's problems

Pep Guardiola said that he knows exactly what the problem is and how to fix it, after Manchester City’s 3–1 defeat to Bodo/Glimt in Norway on Tuesday, and ahead of their Premier League clash against Wolves this weekend. 

City’s struggles have now stretched back to the 2024/25 season, when they surrendered their Premier League crown after finishing third with 76 points, ending a run of four consecutive league titles. 

The defeat in Norway leaves City 11th in the Champions League table with 13 pounds from seven matches, and now needing to win their last game to stand a chance of making the automatic qualification slots (1st to 8th). 

The loss followed a 2–0 Manchester derby defeat to city rivals Manchester United, raising concerns about the efficacy of Guardiola's tactics in the modern game. 

Despite heavy January investment, City’s problems have persisted, with new arrival of Antoine Semenyo (£55m from Bournemouth), yet to arrest the decline, and Marc Guehi (£20m from Crystal Palace) set to make his debut this weekend. 

Guardiola has faced growing criticism that he is “out of ideas” and overseeing a second consecutive underwhelming campaign, with a consistent theme of defensive fragility. However, Pep is confident he can fix the problem. 

“I know the reason we are struggling now – 100 per cent I know what’s happening with the team,” he told reporters, per Goal. “So let’s give it a little more time. Will it be enough? I don’t know. 

“The fragility – I know how it will be solved and the players know it. Fragility is not just about one player. I know what is the solution to not have the fragility. 

“We have to change the dynamic and win games tomorrow and next Wednesday and if we don’t finish eighth we play games in February to play more games.”