What is the worst run of Pep Guardiola’s career?

Cameron Smith

• 12 Dec 2024 17:00 GMT
• 8 min read

Pep Guardiola is one of the greatest managers in football history and he has been responsible for some of the best teams of all time.

The Spaniard enjoyed a successful spell as a player, with the large majority of his career spent at Barcelona, but he is most well-known for his time in the dugout.

Guardiola rose to stardom in his first senior job at Barcelona, before taking over at Bayern Munich and subsequently turning Manchester City into the dominant force of English football.

READ MORE: The five lowest points of Pep Guardiola's managerial career

With over 35 trophies won across his time as a manager, Guardiola has firmly staked his claim as one of the best to ever do it, but he has also endured several poor runs of results over the years.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through the worst spells of Guardiola’s managerial career.

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The five worst winless streaks of Pep Guardiola’s career

April to May 2015 - Four games

Guardiola’s worst run at Bayern Munich came at the end of the 2014-15 campaign, when his side succumbed to four games without a victory.

Their winless streak began with a 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund in the DFB-Pokal final, with Guardiola’s side losing 2-0 on penalties after misses from Philipp Lahm, Xabi Alonso, Mario Gotze and Manuel Neuer.

Bayern were then beaten 2-0 by Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, before falling to a 3-0 defeat against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final first-leg.

With Guardiola’s focus on turning the tie around in the second-leg, Bayern lost 1-0 to Augsburg in the Bundesliga to extend their run to four matches without a win.

The Bavarians eventually beat Barcelona 3-2 in the second-leg, but it wasn’t enough to reverse the damage caused in the away fixture.

March to April 2017 - Four games

Guardiola also endured a four-game winless run during the second half of his debut season at Man City.

After beating AS Monaco in the first-leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie, Man City fell to a 3-1 defeat at the Stade Louis II, and thus were knocked out of the competition on away goals.

That result was followed by back-to-back draws against Liverpool and Arsenal in the Premier League, before a 2-1 loss versus Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 5 April.

Man City’s winless streak ended with a 3-1 victory over Hull City.

February to March 2009 - Five games

Before moving to Man City in 2015, the worst spell of Guardiola’s career in the dugout came during his debut campaign in charge of Barcelona.

After losing his first La Liga game and drawing his second, Guardiola guided Barca to 19 wins in their next 20 league matches, before a 2-2 draw away to Real Betis in February 2009.

The Blaugrana then suffered a shock 2-1 loss to Espanyol in their next fixture, while they were held to a 1-1 draw by French giants Lyon in the Champions League.

Goals from Diego Forlan (x2) and Sergio Aguero (x2) subsequently helped Atletico Madrid to a 4-3 victory over Barcelona on 1 March, and Guardiola’s side then drew 1-1 against Mallorca in the Copa del Rey just three days later.

However, their winless run ended with a routine 2-0 home win over Athletic Club on 7 March. Guardiola eventually guided the Spanish giants to La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey glory in May.

September to October 2016 - Six games

Before Man City’s dismal run of form in 2024, Guardiola’s worst winless streak came during his first season at the Etihad Stadium.

After winning his opening 10 games at Man City, Guardiola’s side were held to a surprise 3-3 draw by Scottish giants Celtic in the Champions League on 28 September.

That result was followed by a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham in the Premier League, before Man City played out a 1-1 draw with Everton. Kevin de Bruyne and Sergio Aguero both missed penalties against the Toffees, but Nolito rescued a point with a 72nd minute equaliser after Romelu Lukaku had opened the scoring just eight minutes earlier.

However, Man City endured a torrid evening at Camp Nou just four days later, with Barcelona easing to a 4-0 victory thanks to a Lionel Messi hat-trick and an 89th minute goal from Neymar.

A Nathan Redmond equaliser subsequently cancelled out Kelechi Iheanacho’s opener against Southampton on 23 October, before Juan Mata scored the only goal of the game as Manchester United emerged triumphant in the Carabao Cup to extend Man City’s winless run to six matches.

Their worrying form ended with a comfortable 4-0 win away to West Bromwich Albion on 29 October, with Sergio Aguero and Ilkay Gundogan both scoring twice.

October to December 2024 - Seven games

The worst winless streak of Guardiola’s managerial career came during a horrid few weeks as winter approached in 2024.

Following a strong start to the season, Man City were dealt a huge blow following news that star midfielder Rodri had torn his ACL and was likely to miss the entirety of the campaign due to the injury.

With several other key players also on the treatment table, Man City’s form dropped off significantly and questions over their recent recruitment strategy were raised.

Their seven-game winless run began with a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup, with a youthful Man City side unable to advance in a competition that has served Guardiola well over the years.

They fell to a second consecutive 2-1 loss just days later, this time against Bournemouth in the Premier League, before being beaten 4-1 by Sporting CP in Ruben Amorim’s final home match in charge of the Portuguese club.

Brighton & Hove Albion ran out 2-1 winners four days later, while Tottenham thumped Guardiola’s side 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium following the November international break.

Man City’s torrid run looked to have ended when they cruised into a 3-0 lead against Feyenoord in the Champions League, but goals from Anis Hadj Moussa, Santiago Gimenez and David Hancko saw the Dutch giants complete a miraculous late comeback.

Liverpool subsequently eased to a 2-0 victory at Anfield on 1 December, before Man City finally ended their winless streak with a comfortable 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest.

However, Guardiola’s side were then held to a 2-2 draw by Crystal Palace, while they were beaten 2-0 by Juventus in the Champions League on 11 December. As a result, Man City only managed one win in 10 games across all competitions from late October to mid-December.