Pep Guardiola's arrogance is costing Manchester City points

At the start of this Premier League campaign, many believed Manchester City would run away with the league. In fact, all of FC Yahoo’s staff were unanimous in that opinion. When the nouveau riche side started the season with six straight wins, it looked as if City would never lose again.

Pep Guardiola – the man who won a sextuple of trophies in his first year as a manager – had done it again! Put the sparkling stuff on ice!

As the holiday season approaches, however, the opinion has been somewhat revised.

Despite having bottomless reserves of cash, a strong foundation for success and one of the hottest managers in the game, the Citizens have won just four matches from their last 15 in all competitions.

Last weekend, they travelled to a faltering Leicester City side that was just two points above the relegation zone, with only a single win in its previous eight outings. The Foxes looked doomed to follow up their title win with relegation, a feat that has only ever been achieved by one other English club – Manchester City in 1938.

But, against the odds, the reigning champions schooled the prospective champions, putting three unanswered goals in Claudio Bravo’s net within 20 minutes.

City’s performance was shambolic. There was little organization in the backline, with Aleksandar Kolarov spending most of his time far too high up the field, leaving John Stones horribly exposed in what had effectively become a two-man defense. All three of City’s defenders tend to like to get forward, which might have made them unsuitable for a back three.

And it wasn’t just the defending that was an issue: Leicester had no problems dealing with the build-up play, while the attack was ineffective without Sergio Aguero. It is damning that City’s first shot on target was their goal, from a set piece, in the 82nd minute.

The players may take some responsibility for the performance, but overall, this one must sit on Guardiola’s shoulders. He has shown conceit and arrogance that has cost his team vital points.

How was this arrogance manifested on the field? Let me count the ways.

Firstly, it appeared that Guardiola hadn’t done his homework, preferring to work on the assumption that his methods will work regardless. If he had watched Leicester last season, he would have known that you cannot play a high line against them. He would have known that Jamie Vardy’s greatest performances come when he is afforded space behind the defense. If he had watched the Foxes this season, he would have known that they can be rendered impotent if the opposing defense sits a little deeper. It’s not rocket science.

Instead of playing to exploit the opposition’s quirks, Guardiola rigidly stuck with his philosophy. It did not work.

After the game, the Catalan said that he “doesn’t train tackles,” instead preferring to focus on possession and goals. This was evident as his side failed to make a tackle in the first half an hour against Leicester. To be fair, an obsession with tackling may be an English quirk – after all, they do not guarantee a turnover – but a lack of pressure seems counterintuitive in a physical league like the Premiership.

One may argue that Guardiola has also shown arrogance in his installation of Bravo in goal. His footwork may be superior to Joe Hart’s, but Bravo’s ability to save the ball is probably not. In a side that has yet to adapt to Guardiola’s passing system, it may have been premature to send England’s No. 1 packing to Italy so quickly.

And there may a degree of conceit in Guardiola’s recruitment choices. At a club that has had a decade of spending top dollar, it seems unthinkable that Pep is left with his current defensive options. His defense doesn’t have a leader – there is no Carles Puyol, no Jerome Boateng, no Gerard Pique. The fact that he felt he could quickly meld his defenders into his system without a strong leader may be indicative of some hubris.

There has also been a perception this season that City have been “found out.” In September’s 3-3 draw with Celtic, Brendan Rodgers’s side played aggressively, denied the build-up play and overloaded the midfield. In the loss to Tottenham that followed, similar tactics were employed. It’s as if teams have discovered a magical blueprint to defeat Man City, and Guardiola simply isn’t reacting quick enough.

Has everyone seen the cards Pep is holding? Is a manager who inherited two world-beating sides out of his depth in a league where there are more than two dominant teams?

Let’s not go that far. To his credit, Guardiola has shown some flexibility in his philosophy to overcome opposition. Perhaps the best example is the 3-1 win over Barcelona in which City countered the Blaugrana’s passing game with a liberal smattering of long balls. After all, he knew he couldn’t beat them at their own game.

Guardiola remains a world-class manager, one who is still settling into a new league. Remember: Manchester United fans famously wanted Sir Alex Ferguson gone in his third season. Pep simply must be afforded more time for his ways to take hold.

But in this age of impatience – where Antonio Conte has managed to get his Chelsea side on track with the same amount of experience, time and resources – it is troubling to see City in its current state.

On Wednesday, the Citizens face a Watford team high on confidence and eyeing a top-six spot in the league. And it is perfectly possible that the team in sky blue unleash fury on the Hornets in reaction to their poor outing in Leicestershire. We may brush aside the issues for another few days.

But for Manchester City to make positive progress, at least in the short term, Pep Guardiola must make some changes. And those changes are subject to the delicacy of his ego.