Following a devastating 3-1 loss to Bodø/Glimt in Norway on Tuesday night, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola acknowledged his team was outmatched on the counterattack.
Kasper Høgh scored twice in the first half of the match, both of which came from deft transitions that took the visitors off guard, giving Manchester City an early setback.
Guardiola’s team had a mountain to climb after Jens Petter Hauge’s third goal rewarded the hosts for keeping their foot on the throttle after halftime.
Rayan Cherki’s goal gave City a brief glimmer of hope, but Rodri’s second booking and subsequent dismissal ended any prospect of a late comeback. Any momentum City had managed to gain was stopped by the dismissal, and Bodø/Glimt were able to confidently finish the game.
Guardiola evaluated a night that heightened worries about his team’s recent performance across tournaments in a contemplative speech following.
“The results since 2025 are not good, in terms of the Premier League and now today, so we have to return,” he declared. However, Wolves and Galatasaray are next. The details give us the impression that everything is going wrong, but we need to make an effort to reverse that.
“There is no doubt in my mind that nothing in this competition is taken for granted.
“Manchester United outperformed us and defeated us. They had momentum today. However, the team was present and we produced, and they did a great job during the transition.
As they prepare for the Galatasaray test on January 28, the loss puts City in a vulnerable position in their UEFA Champions League group.