Manchester

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Manchester City supporter and contributor to the Blue Moon podcast, Rachel Herdson, says "there is lots for Pep Guardiola to think about" before Saturday's trip to Brighton in the Premier League.

Reflecting on the heavy 4-1 defeat to Sporting Lisbon and what happens next for City, Herdson told BBC Radio 5 Live: "The first-half we had complete control of but we found ourselves going into the break at 1-1. Second-half we came out and the first two minutes killed us off.

"Guardiola insisted on playing a high line throughout the game but we haven't got the defensive solidarity anymore or look organised at the back.

"We are obviously missing Rodri but the concern is how open we look at the back because there is no recovery pace without Kyle Walker. We are so heavily dependant on him.

"Three defeats in a row is going to tell us a lot about our mentality and how we bounce back. Nothing has been lost in the Champions League, we have just made it more difficult for ourselves.

"But I am slightly concerned going into the weekend against Brighton because having watched the highlights against Liverpool, they were really unlucky to leave Anfield without something.

"The concerns are fair and genuine. The strong squad everyone has always spoken about is looking to be a bit of a fallacy.

"There is lots for Pep to think about before Saturday but we have to get over this result very quickly."

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Former Premier League defender Stephen Warnock says Sporting Lisbon's thrashing of Manchester City will have given Manchester United fans "belief and optimism" as they prepare to welcome Ruben Amorim to the club.

In what was to be the Portuguese manager's final home game at Sporting they inflicted City’s heaviest defeat since September 2020.

"Amorim will be the first manager to be adored before he even walks through the Old Trafford door," joked Warnock on the BBC Radio 5 Live Football Daily podcast. "Fans will be excited after seeing that and rightly so.

"A lot will have watched it to see how they are likely to play and what their new manager is like because they want some belief and optimism around their club. I am sure he will bring that.

"There will be a real belief that Amorim can come in and change things around now. But he has got to do it on a week-to-week basis in the Premier League.

"You could also argue that his Sporting squad is better than what he has got at United."

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Manchester United are planning a fresh move for 22-year-old Everton and England centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite in the summer. (Talksport), external

Meanwhile, incoming Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim wants a trio of Sporting players - Portugal centre-back Goncalo Inacio, Ivory Coast defender Ousmane Diomande and Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres - to join him at Old Trafford. (Sacha Tavolieri, via Teamtalk), external

England centre-back Harry Maguire will refuse to consider leaving Manchester United in January, as he believes he can earn a new contract at the club. (TBR Football), external

Manchester United will wait to assess developments from the UK government's Budget before deciding whether to demolish Old Trafford and build a new stadium, or redevelop their current home. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Premier League clubs have reserved the right to seek compensation for lost earnings if Manchester City are found guilty of breaching the league's financial rules. (Times - subscription required), external

Want more transfer news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Premier League clubs have reserved the right to seek compensation for lost earnings if Manchester City are found guilty of breaching the league's financial rules. (Times - subscription required), external

Manchester City have made resources available for two signings in January after their injury-hit start to the season. (Football Insider), external

Want more news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

It looked like Manchester City might spoil the leaving party...

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But a former Sky Blue of a different kind had other ideas...

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Can Pep Guardiola get his revenge when Ruben Amorim brings his Manchester United side to the Etihad on 15 December?

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Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock, Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live: "Manchester City are struggling at the moment. They have got the youngsters playing at the back and that is never easy.

"But then you look at the forward players and there is so much experience within that squad, they should be able to go there and see the game out after they went 1-0 ahead.

"If Erling Haaland scores that penalty then that might change the game. How often do we see him miss penalties? Very, very rarely. A bad night and a bad week for City.

"At some point during the season, Man City will hit top form and we will be looking back thinking, 'do you remember when City had that little blip?'.

"They will bounce back. That is what champions do. They will be stronger and it will be no surprise."

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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, speaking to TNT Sports: "Cannot say much when you lose 4-1. Congratulations to Sporting Lisbon for the game.

"We had a fantastic first half, now we are struggling to score. We create and concede when the opponents don't do much.

"The first half was really good, we scored a goal, but every pass, the simple things we missed sometimes.

"It can happen. After the third and the fourth we have to avoid it. Emotionally we were not stable enough and in this competition you have to be stable. At 2-1, many things can happen. We have to be emotionally more stable.

"It was a very good action for them. They made a good moment, they were fast and scored."

On if defensive changes are a problem: "Maybe. I don't know. When you play lots of games you cannot play the same line up and same back four. We have had these problems from day one but it is what it is.

"Now is the difficult moment in terms of results but I want to be here. I want to fight and not give up, I like this challenge as a manager I have ahead of me. Who wants to follow us will be there.

"It is football. Maybe what we lived in the past is the exception. Sometimes you can lose. We were in the position where they punished us for the few they do and we struggled for the chances we had.

"The first half was almost enough to finish the game and then we were losing 3-1."

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Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva, speaking to TNT Sports: "It's disappointing because we're a bit in a dark place right now. Everything looks to be going in the wrong way.

"Even when we are playing well we don't score our chances and we concede too easily. We definitely need to look inside and check what we're not doing well. And we need to get better very quickly otherwise it will be very difficult to come back from these losses.

"It's football. It's difficult to find reasons for what is happening to us. I don't remember in seven-and-a-half seasons this team losing three games in a row. It just looks like this team is going the wrong way now.

"The good thing is, even though we have lost these three games, we are still in a good position, especially in the Premier League. After losing three games we are still in the main competitions fighting for everything. But we need to better, obviously.

"Our injured players need to come back because we need them and it's just not good enough tonight."

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Since Manchester City's first ever Champions League campaign in 2011-12, no side has missed more penalties in the competition than they have (nine).

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Come back to this page on Wednesday to read a selection of replies

Two Premier League clubs are in Champions League action on Tuesday, with both matches getting under way at 20:00 GMT.

• Liverpool v Bayer Leverkusen - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Sporting v Manchester City

Follow all of the action and reaction

Henry Brownsey
BBC Sport journalist

There were bits of wizardry.

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From magical players.

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There were rockets.

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And bangers.

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Landmarks.

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And clangers.

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While some Guy's like Ruud are always remembered.

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Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Are Manchester United, united? Hammering Leicester then drawing at home to Chelsea might be seen as some improvement on Erik ten Hag's time, but it tells us very little. The club hasn’t taken off yet, indeed this is nothing more than a holding pattern until Ruben Amorim lands.

‌They haven’t even tried to play in Amorim’s style yet. Ruud van Nistelrooy kept to the tried-and-tested back four instead of the back three which will be the new normal at Old Trafford. I thought the new Ineos regime had finally started for real when Ten Hag left, but in reality it hasn’t.

‌So what has to be done differently to get the club back to where the fans think it should be? Obviously getting the best out of the players already there is high on the agenda. The employment of tactics that suit the available players will help.

‌Clearly a better hit rate from the acquisitions department is essential, there have been too many players bought for too much money who have had limited effect.

‌There are lots of big jobs but maybe the toughest will be giving the new coach the time to change things. He changed Sporting quickly, but the Primeira Liga isn’t the Premier League and this is a much bigger task.

‌Patience and time will be promised but will they be given? That more than anything else is what is important now.

‌Improving from their current league position will not be too difficult in the short term. Becoming top four challengers may take an entire season, at the very least, even for the highest-rated young coach in the business.

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Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Manchester City lost to both Bournemouth and Spurs in the space of four days, which begs the question, has the bubble burst for the champions? One league defeat in 11 months is probably not a reason to press any panic buttons and neither is a defeat in the least important domestic competition.

‌There are however other underlying concerns that have become apparent since the Champions League games started. In the last nine domestic games, there have been five City wins, but not one has been by more than a single goal.

‌City are used to steamrolling teams, keeping easy possession and frequently cantering to victory. That hasn’t happened lately. That could be because they are missing Rodri, who has been unavailable for eight of those games, as well as Kevin de Bruyne who has been out too. De Bruyne wasn’t even risked from the bench against Bournemouth even when they were desperate to get an equaliser in the final 10 minutes.

‌Pep, though trying to deflect to some degree, is clearly struggling with an injury and fitness crisis that doesn’t look like ending any time soon.

‌There is another concern nagging at the back of his mind. Erling Haaland is the main man and although they have survived without his goals before when he has been out, there is a feeling that if he got another injury now that would have a catastrophic effect.

‌City already have seven points out of nine in the Champions League campaign, so it might be tempting to rest their star striker against Sporting for at least part of the game. They will probably qualify anyway and if he is to be needed it is more likely to be in upcoming ties against Juventus and Paris St-Germain. You don’t want to turn a blip into a crisis.

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