Tottenham‘s 4-0 win at Manchester City on Saturday night left Micah Richards ‘flabbergasted’.
James Maddison, on his 28th birthday, scored twice inside the opening 20 minutes before Pedro Porro and substitute Brennan Johnson found the net in the second half.
City have now suffered five defeats in a row in all competitions – a dismal run which started with another loss to Spurs on October 30.
Speaking on Sky Sports after Saturday’s game, former City defender Richards declared: ‘I am flabbergasted.’
Richards added: ‘Spurs were excellent. Maddison was the best player on the pitch.
‘From Man City‘s point of view it is truly awful and I don’t say that a lot about City.
‘They were off it, the distances weren’t correct, they were dominated in midfield, they have a lack of energy, conviction, they didn’t know how to break Spurs down.
‘I thought the contract [signed by manager Pep Guardiola earlier in the week] would give them a lift but it wasn’t meant to be.
‘It could have been a blip but it was more than that looking at that today. To be at the Etihad and not score in games like this, it’s a bad one.’
City manager Guardiola later told Sky Sports: ‘We are fragile at the moment.
‘We could not defend properly. We started well, struggled to score and then conceded. Then the situation is more difficult.
‘I’ve been here as a player, maybe not as a manager… first three games at Barcelona we lost. The only chance we have is to stay there. Last eight years the results have been there, it would be a mistake to change the approach.
‘There are not fairytales in life and sport, sometimes you have to live through these situations. You have to accept it.
‘You can’t blame each other. [We must] stay together, continue to do what we have done.
‘Run away? Absolutely not, we have to stand up more than ever. What will define us is when we fail, we stand up and face it.
‘I don’t know what will happen this season, but not for one second will I not believe in these players.
‘There is no team in the world that can sustain success for eight, nine, ten years in a row.
‘Of course everything is not fine, but what we try to do is analyse it, let’s go to next game and see what happens.’
City remain second in the Premier League despite their latest loss.
However, a win for Liverpool over Southampton on Sunday would see Guardiola’s side fall eight points behind the leaders. City’s next Premier League game is away at Liverpool on December 1.
