adminMANCHESTER. — Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough on Saturday can hardly be called a crisis, but it completed a rare sequence of events for the home fans at the Etihad Stadium.
Although City supporters can look back fondly on a week where they beat Barcelona 3-1 in the Champions League and thrashed West Brom away in their last league match, they’ve now gone three home league games without a win for the first time since 2010.
City have met Everton, Southampton and Middlesbrough in their last three top flight matches at the Etihad, and all three games have finished 1-1.
This is an unwanted record for Pep Guardiola, who was talked about as the most exciting of the many new managerial additions at English clubs over the summer.
The Spaniard was seen as a welcome replacement for the uninspiring Manuel Pellegrini in pre-season, but City never endured such a run at home under the Chilean.
It was under Roberto Mancini that City once waited this long for a home win in the league, losing 3-0 to Arsenal and then drawing 0-0 with both Manchester United and Birmingham City in the first half of the 2010-11 season, when they finished third.
City’s last home win in the league came on September 17, when they beat Bournemouth 4-1.
And Guardiola acknowledged Manchester City need to develop a more ruthless instinct after they were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Middlesbrough.
Guardiola’s side made a major statement on the European stage when they beat Barcelona 3-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday. — AFP.
Online Reporter