Humiliated Pep Guardiola faces new Manchester City threat and must act before it's too late

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The plan was for Pep Guardiola to go out in a blaze of glory. To win another Premier League title and Champions League crown, to add the final gloss to his sparkling legacy at Manchester City before handing over the reins, despite having a year left on his deal.

Returning from the cold and darkness of the Arctic Circle with his tail between his legs, was not supposed to precede him riding into the sunset.

But even those touched with greatness like Guardiola are not immune from failure. And this dreaded prospect is what the Spaniard is now staring straight in the face.

Guardiola must feel like he's been hit by a snowplough. In the space of less than a week, his team has been humiliated not once, but twice. Not content with being embarrassed by the neighbours, City went to see some strangers Poles apart from themselves - and suffered a complete meltdown.

It will be a night the minnows of Bodo/Glimt will never forget. And it's safe to assume the same goes for Guardiola as well.

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To put the Champions League defeat into perspective, City lost to a team based in a place with a population which is less than the capacity of the Etihad Stadium.

The sensation of humiliation is not one Guardiola is familiar with.

But make no mistake, this defeat represents the nadir of Guardiola's reign in the blue half of Manchester. A result which sends shockwaves across the world of football. A defeat which proves Guardiola has serious problems to fix - and fast - if he is to avoid the unthinkable notion and very real threat of going a second successive season without a single piece of silverware.

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From back to front, the former English champions have glaring weaknesses. Despite injuries to certain individuals, there is no defence for City's defence. For the second time in four days, City conceded three goals and saw their opponents have two more disallowed.

The introduction of new signing Marc Guehi cannot come soon enough.

Rodri might have returned to the fold, but he looks a shell of the midfielder who won the Ballon d'Or in 2024. The Spaniard, who managed to get sent off for two bookings inside 60 seconds, missed the whole of last season following knee surgery. He is off the pace, and personifies City's inability to control possession, not to mention win it back.

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While in attack, Guardiola has the most lethal striker in world football, but due to the failings of those attacking weapons around him, is seeing Haaland morph into someone about as threatening as a wet sponge.

Haaland has now failed to score in his last eight games, aside from penalties. His worst streak since 2018.

Haaland described the loss in the Arctic Circle as "embarrassing". These are not words he ever imagined having to utter about a team and club he committed the next decade of his career to, when signing a deal he believed would result in him fulfilling all of his footballing ambitions.

How Guardiola - and Haaland - must miss the influence of Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian's relationship with Haaland was telepathic at times. Etihad bosses made the decision to cut ties with their greatest ever player last summer, but right now the gamble looks to have failed.

It's true someone like him can be impossible to replace. But signing Tijan Reijnders is a woeful attempt at doing so.

Guardiola reckons City need to change the dynamic. The obvious way to do this is to change the manager.

This will never happen - so it's down to him to prove his genius and put right what is going wrong, before it's too late.

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