Manchester City had a nightmare performance against Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday, suffering a heavy 4-1 defeat that left them in a state of frustration.
With Viktor Gyokeres scoring a hat-trick and Maximiliano Araujo adding another, the home side cruised to an easy victory.
The result marked another worrying sign for Pep Guardiola’s squad, who have now faced three consecutive losses amid a mounting injury crisis.
L’Equipe Ratings: Brutal Criticism for City’s Players
The French outlet L’Equipe didn’t hold back in their player ratings, delivering harsh scores across the board.
Defenders Josko Gvardiol and Jahmai Simpson-Pusey received the lowest possible ratings, both earning just two out of 10.
The pair struggled against Gyokeres, who netted a hat-trick, while also missing a massive opportunity to add another goal.
The Struggles of Haaland, Kovacic, and Others
It wasn’t just Gvardiol and Simpson-Pusey who were criticized. Erling Haaland, Mateo Kovacic, and Savinho were all rated a disappointing three out of 10 for their performances.
Haaland had a particularly tough night, as he was kept quiet for most of the match and then saw his late penalty attempt hit the bar.
Other players like Rico Lewis, Ederson, and Bernardo Silva were given a four out of 10, while Matheus Nunes and Manuel Akanji fared slightly better with five out of 10.
Phil Foden, who scored City’s only goal, was the highest-rated player with a six out of 10.
Sporting Lisbon Shine with Strong Performances
On the other hand, Sporting Lisbon’s players received high praise for their performances.
Gyokeres was the standout, earning an eight out of 10 for his incredible hat-trick.
Manager Ruben Amorim also impressed, receiving a solid seven out of 10 for orchestrating Sporting’s triumph. Guardiola, by comparison, was given a mere three out of 10 for his team’s lackluster performance.
Silva’s Honest Assessment of City’s Struggles
After the match, Bernardo Silva opened up about City’s current struggles, acknowledging that the team is in a “dark place” following three straight losses.
He emphasized that even when they play well, they’re not converting chances and are conceding too easily.
Silva stressed the need for a quick turnaround, warning that without improvements, it would be difficult to recover from this slump.
“We need to look inside and figure out what we’re not doing well,” Silva reflected.
“It’s disappointing because everything seems to be going wrong right now. I can’t remember the last time this team lost three games in a row. We need to turn things around fast.”
This article was published on TDPel Media. Thanks for reading!Share on Facebook «||» Share on Twitter «||» Share on Reddit «||» Share on LinkedIn