Manchester City‘s recent run of bad form has seen them drop from title favourites to five points off the top spot in just a matter of weeks as Pep Guardiola looks to reimagine his tactical set-up yet again over the coming months.

Four defeats in a row, including a 4-1 hammering away to Sporting CP in the Champions League, have left the Cityzens in unfamiliar territory desperately searching for answers.

Recent news of Guardiola’s contract extension will undoubtedly provide a lift, although a core of ageing players will likely need much more to bring their performances back to the levels they have become accustomed to over the past few seasons.

City opted for a quiet summer transfer window with the ongoing court case against the Premier League swirling over their heads, signing Savinho and Ilkay Gundogan – who ranked at no.1 in FourFourTwo’s list of the best central midfielders in the world right now – for a combined fee of just £30 million.

This was met by a wealth of outgoings, with Julian Alvarez and Joao Cancelo both leaving for big fees as Guardiola begins to overhaul a squad responsible for lifting each of the last four Premier League titles.

Germany captain Ilkay Gundogan raises his thumb during his side’s Euro 2024 match against Switzerland.

Former Premier League and Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer believes that much more needs to be done to get the squad firing on all cylinders once more, taking aim at seven first-team players who could soon be on their way out.

“Looking through their current squad, you’ve got Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Mateo Kovacic, Ilkay Gundogan, Kyle Walker, Ederson & even John Stones who are all 30+ years old,” the pundit told Betfair. “So you could argue the bulk of their squad is in a state of natural decline.

“However, you could also argue whether a little bit of their hunger may have also decreased, because a lot of those players have been incredibly successful and I don’t care who or what you are, it’s difficult to keep going again, again and again.

“They’ve done it so many times now so it’s a big ask for them to come back and go again, and only time will tell. They also have the off-field charges that have been put to them as a football club to deal with, and the questions that are going to be asked there too.”

Guardiola’s side welcome bogey team Tottenham Hotspur to the Etihad on Saturday as they look to avoid losing five consecutive games for the first time since the Spaniard’s appointment back in 2016.

The Cityzens cannot afford to lose any more ground on runaway league leaders Liverpool, who currently sit five points ahead after just 11 games this season.

Rodri has said Pep Guardiola‘s contract extension is “an important incentive” for him to continue at Manchester City but left the door open for a transfer to Real Madrid by calling their reported interest “an honour.”

Rodri, who tore his right ACL in September, celebrated the news that Guardiola signed a two-year deal to remain at the Etihad stadium through June 2027.

“It is a joy that Pep has decided to continue,” Rodri, 28, told Cadena Ser radio in Spain. “It’s clear that he has been the most influential coach of my career. It’s a joy for the club and for the Citizens for him to continue for at least two more years. When I signed there [with City in 2019], they told me that Pep would only stay for one or two years…”

When asked about his future, Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, said: “My focus is on my recovery. I have two years left on my contract, the time is approaching to sit down and speak again. It’s clear that it [Guardiola’s contract extension] is an important incentive. I feel very valued at the club. For the time being I’m very happy.”

Rodri, who joined City in the summer of 2019 from Atletico Madrid, in fact, does not rule out ending his playing career at the Etihad even if he is a target of Real Madrid next summer.

Asked if he would consider joining Madrid, Rodri said: “Obviously when Madrid, the best and most successful club in history, calls you, it is an honour. You always have to pay attention. But obviously of course not. I don’t look too far ahead but it’s a possibility that I could perfectly end my career in England.

“It’s a country that has given me everything, I have fallen in love with football there. The club is spectacular, not just from a sporting level but how it’s structured. I feel comfortable and loved there. But Spain is my country. I am always aware of the League, the level of the teams is growing more and more. I’ve been lucky to play in both leagues, to have the best coaches in the world and I feel very satisfied.”

Rodri, who was voted the best player at Euro 2024 after leading Spain to the title, is aiming to return before the end of the season.

“Right now I’m not thinking about football, about winning,” he said. “I’m just thinking about giving myself a chance to recover to regain the level I had before.

Asked if he could return to play in March or April, Rodri said: “Yes. From a mental standpoint, my aim is to play this season. Each year, the seasons are longer. I don’t know how much I will be able to contribute but having the Nations League and the Club World Cup in June and July, I think I will be able to do so.”

The club are second in the Premier League, five points adrift of leaders Liverpool, and are 10th in the Champions League group standings.

“It’s clear that we are going through a negative spell,” Rodri said. “It’s not the first time. If there’s a team that has shown that it can bounce back it’s our team. I have no doubt that we will come out of this. We have a strong team. I’m eager to return in order to give the team encouragement.”

Arsenal and Manchester City have made it a trio of English sides in the UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-finals after following Chelsea through.

Group C: Vålerenga 1-1 Bayern Munich, Arsenal 1-0 Juventus

Group D: Hammarby 1-2 Manchester City, St. Pölten 1-4 Barcelona

Lina Hurtig came off the bench to grab an 89th-minure winner for Arsenal against Juventus.

Caitlin Foord, Frida Maanum and Leah Williamson were among those to pass up good opportunities for the Gunners, while Daphne van Domselaar tipped an Arianna Caruso effort round the post.

Hurtig was unable to take her first chance at getting the breakthrough goal but made the most of the second.

Vålerenga held Bayern Munich in the other Group C game, Elise Thorsnes with an 88th-minute equaliser after Jovana Damnjanovic had scored barely a dozen minutes earlier.

Khadija Shaw struck twice as Manchester City made it four wins from four, in front of over 20,000 in Hammarby, a record crowd for a Swedish women’s club match.

She capped a breakaway move with a deflected shot that looped over a helpless goalkeeper in Anna Tamminen and into the net, for an interval lead.

Ellen Wangerheim levelled from a cross into the six-yard box very early in the second half, only for Shaw to swiftly restore the lead with a rocket shot from the edge of the area.

Khiara Keating then made a great double save to keep City ahead.

Also in Group D, Barcelona won 4-1 away to St. Pölten where Kika Nazareth struck twice before the half-hour mark. Vicky López quickly added the third, Alexia Putellas netting close to the hour and Valentina Mädl pulling one back.