Paul Kennedy

I got a meme the other day from my brother pointing out that Manchester United have had three managers since Manchester City last won a game.

Sorry Kev, but a quick fact-check shows this isn’t actually the case. They’ve won one.

But still, for a team as dominate as City have been, with a manager as revered as Pep Guardiola is, winning just one game (Nottingham Forest at home December 5) since the end of October in all competitions, is nothing short of staggering.

For many years, questions have been asked whether or not Guardiola is the greatest ever Premier League manager.

Ask me a few months back, I’d have probably said yes, or at the very least, a close second to Sir Alex Ferguson. Today however, then I’m really not so sure.

Pep’s at a crossroads and it’s a junction Ferguson hit many terms during his managerial career.

You see Sir Alex, didn’t just win trophies, he built team, after team, after team that won trophies. The first period of success at United came with the likes of Mark Hughes, Paul Ince and Steve Bruce playing.

That was followed by his dominance in the late 1990s with David Beckham, Jaap Stam, Roy Keane and co.

Fast-forward to the mid-2000s and he did it all over again with a squad that included Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Cristiano Ronaldo.

When his players got old, Sir Alex rebuilt. Over and over again. That for me is the reason why Ferguson will always be the number one in the list of Premier League managerial greats.

City on Saturday face a tricky trip to Aston Villa, who could leapfrog above them in the Premier League, should they win.

If that happens, which is entirely possible, more massive questions will be asked about what next for City?

Pep, as good as he is, has always been backed by a bottom-less pit of cash, allowing him to buy the best and build a team using the company cheque book.

Now he’s facing a new dilemma, one he’s probably not had to overcome before. His team is getting on a bit, they are desperate for new players and those around him, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea, can smell blood.

Pep could still surprise me, I wouldn’t put it past him. He could do a ‘Fergie’ and pull some amazing rabbits out of hats and begin a very quick rebuild.

But he sure needs to do something, and he needs to do it quickly. VNS