Pep Guardiola's Longest Winless Runs as Manager

Pep Guardiola's longest winless streak was six games at Man City in 2016. City have lost four games in a row in 2024 - the first time this has happened to Guardiola as a manager. Guardiola faced tough periods in all three of his clubs.

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City lost 2-1 to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday 9th November. This was the club's fourth defeat in a row in all competitions - the first time this has happened to Guardiola in his managerial career. City last lost four games in a row in 2006 and face an uphill battle to win their fifth Premier League title in a row.



The legendary Spanish manager also endured tough spells at both Barcelona and Bayern Munich. After taking over the Catalan giants in 2008, he won La Liga three years in a row, along with two Champions League titles. However, he still had a winless run of five in the early part of 2009.

Despite winning seven trophies at Bayern, he also went on a three-game losing run at the back end of the 2014/15 campaign. Here are the longest winless streaks in Guardiola's 17-year managerial career so far. Pep Guardiola's Longest Winless Runs As Manager Rank Club Dates Games Without A Win 1 Manchester City 28th September - 29th October 2016 6 2 Barcelona 14th February - 7th March 2009 5 3 Manchester City 30th October - Current 4 4 Manchester City 15th March - 8th April 2017 4 5 Bayern Munich 28th April - 12th May 2015 4 6 Manchester City 4th - 10th April 2018 3 7 Manchester City 29th May - 15th August 2021 3 7 Manchester City - 3 Games City were the favourites to win the Champions League title in 2021, despite losing to their opponents Chelsea in the semi-finals of the FA Cup and in the Premier League.

Thomas Tuchel's hard-working team went 1-0 up in the first-half thanks to a Kai Havertz goal - a lead that they would hold onto. This meant Guardiola's long wait for his first Champions League title for the Manchester club would be prolonged. This was the last game of the 2020/21 season.

Ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, City faced Leicester City in the Community Shield, who had just won the FA Cup. Former City striker Kelechi Iheanacho scored the only goal of the game, securing the title for the Foxes against Guardiola's side. Eight days later, the Sky Blues started their Premier League season with a trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

After an underwhelming display, they were punished by Son Heung-min, who scored in the 55th minute to condemn City to three consecutive defeats in three different competitions. 6 Manchester City - 3 Games Guardiola's side dominated the 2017/18 Premier League season, winning the title with 100 points. They also won the EFL Cup in February, beating Arsenal in the final.

Despite their domestic dominance, City came unstuck against Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool in the quarter-final of the Champions League. In the first leg at Anfield, the Reds raced into a 3-0 lead after 31 minutes before winning the second leg 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium. In between these two matches against Liverpool, City faced their rivals Manchester United in the Premier League.

They knew that a win would wrap up the title with six games to spare and were 2-0 up at the break. United fought back with a brace from Paul Pogba and the winner from Chris Smalling to delay the inevitable. Pep Guardiola has assembled one of the greatest sides in football history.

5 Bayern Munich - 4 Games Guardiola took the Bayern Munich job at the start of the 2013/14 season. He won four trophies in the first year, including the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup. He continued this domestic success in the following campaign, easing to the league title ahead of VfL Wolfsburg and Borussia Monchengladbach.

The Spaniard then set his sights on the DFB-Pokal and the Champions League. They faced Dortmund in the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal and Robert Lewandowski's 29th minute goal looked like it was enough to book their place in the final. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang equalised, though, with the game eventually going to a penalty shootout.

Bayern missed all four of their spot-kicks and were out of Germany's main domestic cup competition. With the Bundesliga already secured, Guardiola heavily rotated for the away trip against Bayer Leverkusen on 2nd May. Hakan Calhanoglu and Julian Brandt scored the goals for the opposition.

Four days later, they faced Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. In a tightly contested affair, it looked like the Bavarians would be returning to Germany with a valuable draw. Late goals from Lionel Messi and Neymar, though, meant they succumbed to a damaging 3-0 defeat.

Finally, Bayern lost 1-0 at home to FC Augsburg, largely due to a 13th-minute Pepe Reina red card. Guardiola had lost three times in a row for the first time in his managerial career, and despite a 3-2 win against Barcelona in the second leg on 12th May, they were eliminated from the Champions League. 4 Manchester City - 4 Games City were up against Monaco in the last 16 of the 2016/17 Champions League.

They beat their French opponents 5-3 at the Etihad Stadium but lost the away leg 3-1, meaning they were out of Europe. Their exit from this competition resulted in a dip in form in the Premier League. Sergio Aguero cancelled out a James Milner penalty in their next game against Liverpool , in a game that saw both sides miss a raft of chances.

Next up was a visit to the Emirates Stadium, and despite going a goal ahead twice in the game, they drew 2-2 with Arsenal. Finally, City lost 2-1 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, thanks to a brace from Eden Hazard. This meant Guardiola's side were without a win in four, but they were able to beat Hull City three days later to end the barren run.

3 Manchester City - 4 Games After four Premier League titles in a row, City were deemed the favourites to secure another league trophy ahead of the 2024/25 season. Defensive issues and a season-ending injury to Ballon d'Or winner Rodri led to concerns for the rest of the campaign. On 30th October, they rotated their squad for the trip to Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup, which ended in them losing 2-1 to their hosts and exiting the competition.

Next up was a trip to Bournemouth in the league, who had never beaten City in all competitions. Goals from Antoine Semenyo and Evanilson ended this run, condemning Guardiola's side to their first league defeat of the season. With injuries mounting, City travelled to Sporting CP in the Champions League, managed by Ruben Amorim, who was recently appointed as the United head coach.

Despite going 1-0 ahead, City collapsed in the second half to lose 4-1, with Viktor Gyokeres scoring a hat-trick. City had lost three games in a row, with Guardiola desperate to avoid another defeat away at Brighton & Hove Albion. The Spanish manager had never lost four consecutive matches as a manager, but on Saturday 9th November, they conceded two late goals against the Seagulls to drop five points behind Arne Slot's Liverpool.

Guardiola's Manchester City contract expires in 2025. 2 Barcelona - 5 Games Guardiola lost his first La Liga match in charge of Barcelona on 31st August 2008. After this early blip, they only dropped points in two games from September 2008 to February 2009.

In February, they dropped points in three consecutive league matches. The first of these was away at Real Betis, with Samuel Eto'o scoring a brace to rescue a point for the Catalan side. A week later, they lost at home for the first time in La Liga.

Ivan de la Pena scored twice to secure a famous win for Espanyol at the Camp Nou. After that, they drew against Lyon in the Champions League, followed by a 4-3 defeat away at Atletico Madrid. They were looking to avoid five matches without a win when they travelled to Mallorca for the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final.

Guardiola's side had won the opening leg 2-0, though, and secured a 1-1 draw to book their place in the final. A few days later, Barcelona beat Athletico Bilbao at home to end their winless run. 1 Manchester City - 6 Games In Guardiola's first season in charge at City, he endured his longest winless streak as a manager.

From September to October 2016, he went six games without a win. The first of these was a 3-3 draw away at Celtic Park, with City coming from behind three times to pick up a point in Group C of the Champions League. They were then outplayed against Spurs, with Dele Alli scoring in the 37th minute in a 2-0 win.

This was followed by a home draw against Everton, which saw the opposition goalkeeper, Maarten Stekelenburg, save two penalties. It didn't get any easier for Guardiola's side as a trip to Barcelona followed. Messi scored a hat-trick in a dominant 4-0 win, highlighting how far away from the top of European football City were.

A draw against Southampton at the Etihad and a defeat to their rivals United in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup extended the winless run to six. City's 4-0 win away at West Bromwich Albion ended the streak, and they ended up finishing third behind Spurs and Chelsea in the league. Information gathered from Transfermarkt - Correct as of 12/11/24.

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