MANCHESTER, England (AP) – Pep Guardiola might have thought he’d be taking over the champions of England when he agreed to join Manchester City from next season.
If City’s current form is anything to go by, the world’s best manager may be coaching a side in the Europa League.
City’s 1-0 loss to Manchester United on Sunday, courtesy of another goal by teenager Marcus Rashford, didn’t only end its realistic chances of winning the Premier League. It also left the club under severe threat of being displaced in the top four in an increasingly fraught race for Champions League qualification.
United and West Ham are only one point behind fourth-place City, which has won just one of its last six league games and has got a Champions League quarterfinal match against Paris Saint-Germain to further complicate its upcoming schedule.
First-place Leicester is now 15 points clear of City. Tottenham, though, hasn’t given up hope of reeling in the surprise leaders.