Sports
What's wrong with Manchester City? The unfortunate truth is it might be the coach
What’s wrong with Manchester City?
I have a theory, although it’s not going to be a popular one with the team’s Emirati owners. The problem might be the coach, whom the club recently signed to a two-year extension that, based on the value of his previous contract, is likely worth more than $50 million.
And Pep Guardiola has earned that. In nine seasons at Manchester City, he has coached the team to 15 major trophies, including six of the last seven English Premier League titles and a treble in 2022-23. His teams have broken EPL records for consecutive titles won, most points in a season, most wins in a season, most goals in a season, largest title-winning margin and best goal differential, among other things.
Before that, Guardiola won two Champions League titles and a treble at Barcelona and three Bundesliga crowns in as many seasons at Bayern Munich. He is, without question, one of the greatest club coaches in soccer history.
But he might have overstayed his welcome in Manchester.
Guardiola, 53, has already coached more than twice as many games in Manchester as he did at any of his previous stops. If he stays through the end of his extension — and he apparently has more than 50 million reasons why he should — he’ll have spent 11 seasons at the club in a league where the average tenure of a manager is just 787 days, according to The Athletic.
Already Guardiola has been with City longer than most Americans stay in their first marriage. And just as with no-fault divorce, it’s not necessary to place blame when relationships go stale. It is, however, necessary to move on.
That’s where City finds itself after having won just once in its last 11 games in all competition, the worst slide in Guardiola’s coaching career. The latest loss came Sunday, at home, in the Manchester Derby, with City conceding twice in the final two minutes of regulation time in a 2-1 loss that dropped it to fifth in the EPL table.
City hasn’t finished outside the top four since 2010 and just once has a Guardiola-coached team finished lower than second in league play anywhere. The team is giving up goals at a higher pace (1.68 per game in all competition) than in any previous season under Guardiola, with the 42 scores City has conceded in 25 games this year matching the number it gave up in 61 games in 2020-21.
City has clearly lost its swagger. In the past it was cocky and confident; now it’s rattled and in disarray.
So why is this happening?
It’s certainly not because Guardiola has suddenly forgotten how to coach; despite City’s struggles he remains one of the game’s premier tacticians. Injuries, however, have been a factor, especially on the defensive end.
John Stones has played just 11 times this season, two more than Nathan Ake. And Kyle Walker, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne have all lost time to injuries or illness. Yet no one has been missed more than Rodri, the team’s midfield anchor and recent Ballon d’Or winner, who has been out since late September because of an ACL injury.
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola, right, leaves the field with Matheus Nunes after a match against Manchester United on Dec. 15.
(Dave Thompson / Associated Press)
City was unbeaten in eight games before Rodri was hurt; it has won just seven times in 17 games since.
Yet injuries — even devastating ones like Rodri’s — are a part of the game and City has overcome them before. What’s more likely at the center of the team’s sudden collapse this season is the fact the relationship between Guardiola and his players, like a poor first marriage, has gone stale.
Six of the team’s core players are older than 30, and all six — in addition to Foden — have been there since Guardiola’s second season in Manchester. They’ve been together for more than 440 games and thousands of practices, team meetings and halftime speeches.
There’s a good chance everything Guardiola says is something they’ve heard before. So even if they don’t tune it out — consciously or unconsciously — the message doesn’t resonate the way it did before.
This isn’t a new phenomenon. It’s why many national team managers last just one World Cup cycle and why the average stay of a club coach in Europe is only 402 days, according to the Swiss-based International Centre for Sports Studies. In South America it’s 99 fewer.
Guardiola’s tenure with Manchester City, on the other hand, is already the second longest in club history and more than two years longer than that of any other current Premier League manager.
Familiarity might be a strength in some professions, but coaching is not among them.
Consider Bob Bradley’s time with LAFC. In his first season, which ended with an MLS playoff appearance, players raved about his attention to even the smallest details, which included how well they bused their tables in the team cafeteria. By his fourth season, the team had a losing record and players were complaining that Bradley was too exacting. So the team replaced him with the more laid-back Steve Cherundolo and won a Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup in Cherundolo’s first year.
“Different influence, different voice. I think that is part of the process,” said Ante Razov, an assistant coach under both managers.
I remember a similar lesson from decades ago. The day before the late John Robinson was to coach USC in its third Rose Bowl in four years, I was sent out to cover the Trojans’ final practice. Just before practice ended, the gates to the field swung open and the USC band, led by the song girls, marched in playing the school’s fight song.
As some of the greats from past USC teams suddenly emerged from the gathering crowd to give rousing speeches, it was obvious the team’s newer players were being whipped into a fervor. But behind them several juniors and seniors sat on their helmets and chatted among themselves, ignoring the pep talks altogether. When I asked why, one bored lineman said “we’ve heard this all before.”
Robinson never won another Rose Bowl and three years later he left for the NFL. The problem wasn’t the coach or the message, it was the fact the players had heard it all before.
The same might now be true on the east side of Manchester.
⚽ You have read the latest installment of On Soccer with Kevin Baxter. The weekly column takes you behind the scenes and shines a spotlight on unique stories. Listen to Baxter on this week’s episode of the “Corner of the Galaxy” podcast.
Sports
Golf star records lowest round in LPGA major history with astounding performance at Evian Championship
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There are good days on the golf course, and then there is what Haeran Ryu just did on Saturday.
Ryu, 25, recorded the lowest round in LPGA major history on Saturday with an 11-under 60 at the Evian Championship. With the South Korean golfer’s historic round, she holds a three-stroke lead.
Ryu’s round comes just two weeks after winning her first major at the Women’s PGA Championship. On the 18th hole, Ryu left a 30-foot eagle putt a few inches short, and instead settled for a birdie.
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Haeran Ryu of South Korea reacts on the 18th green after the third round of The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, on July 11, 2026. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
She said after the round that she had no idea what she had done until she counted up her scorecard.
“But after the putt and I counted my score with my caddie,” she said. “Oh my God, it’s 11-under par today. It was so amazing. My caddie says, ‘Yep.’ I’m so happy right now.”
If Ryu had made the eagle putt on the 18th hole, she would have been just the second player to shoot a 59 in LPGA history.
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Haeran Ryu of South Korea celebrates a birdie on the 15th green during the third round of The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 11, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Her 60 broke the record for the lowest round in an LPGA major by one shot. Leona Maguire and Jeungeun Lee6 in 2021, and Hyo Joo Kim in 2014, each shot 61 at the Evian Championship, which was designated as an LPGA major in 2013.
The lowest round in a men’s major is 62, which is shared by four players — Branden Grace at Royal Birkdale in the 2017 British Open, Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler in the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, and Schauffele and Shane Lowry in the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla.
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Haeran Ryu of South Korea and Lottie Woad of England interact after their round on the 18th green during the third round of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, on July 11, 2026. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Ryu hopes her historic third round can help propel her to a second major win in three weeks.
“That is amazing, amazing dream,” Ryu said. “So I just want that one to come true, but we have one more day.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Taylor Crabb is no stranger to South California beaches. The Long Beach State alum returns home this weekend to compete in AVP League matches.
It marks the first time AVP will compete in Long Beach since 2020 and allows players to compete at the 2028 Olympics beach volleyball venue.
Crabb, 34, made his AVP debut in 2013 with his brother, Trevor, and advanced from the qualifier in Manhattan Beach before finishing 25th in his first tournament.
After years of competing with various different partners, Taylor Crabb and Andy Benesh have delivered the top performances this AVP season.
The following interview with Crabb has been edited for clarity and length.
Are you excited to compete in this weekend’s event at Long Beach?
Crabb: Very excited. A lot of my college teammates and part of the school have reached out, saying that they’re gonna come. So I’m excited to get a chance to play in front of them again.
When was the last time you were in Long Beach?
Crabb: I always try to go down there for alumni events or any big games they have. I went to UCLA against Long Beach last year, when it was No. 1 versus No. 2, so I always try to get down there and support them.
You missed out on the chance to compete in the 2020 Olympics because of COVID-19 restrictions and chose not to pursue a spot at the 2024 Olympics. Are you fired up to try to compete in the 2028 Olympics, knowing that Long Beach will host the competition?
Crabb: Yeah, it’s definitely an exciting time having the Olympics in Long Beach, and we kind of get to break it in this weekend. As you said, Tokyo didn’t go the way I wanted, but I’m going full force now. I have a great partner in Andy Benesh, who obviously went to the Paris Olympics, and if it weren’t for the Olympics being in Long Beach, and me getting a partner like Andy, I’m not even sure I’d be going for it, but because of those two things, I want to make the most of it.
You mentioned that if it wasn’t for a partner like Andy, you wouldn’t be going for it. What do you mean by that?
Crabb: I didn’t feel motivated by playing in all the international events, but now, I think, sitting out kind of lit the fire under me, and I’m really motivated now.
You’ve had different partners throughout your time. What other motivation does Andy give you?
Crabb: He’s been, in my mind, the top blocker for the U.S. the last four or five years. Seeing the professionalism he brings every day to practice, on and off the court, while traveling and when showing up to tournaments, it rubs off on you and that’s really motivating to see. And I just want to make him proud.
Why do you love volleyball?
Crabb: A lot of reasons, but it’s just a feeling I have when I’m out there on the court. It feels natural. It feels like home. I was born into a volleyball family. I had a volleyball in my hands my entire life, so I’ve always just enjoyed it.
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CM Punk appeared on “Friday Night SmackDown” ready to take on any challenger that was ready to step to him after winning the Undisputed WWE Championship against Sami Zayn.
Punk entered the ring in Oklahoma City and called back to the “Monday Night Raw” after WrestleMania 42 when he told Cody Rhodes he’d be ready to deliver if a championship opportunity fell “out of the sky.”
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Cody Rhodes and CM Punk face off during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images)
“When championship opportunities fall out of the sky, CM Punk catches them,” he said.
Punk named potential SmackDown superstars he’d think might come for the title, including Gunther, Finn Balor, Royce Keys, Damian Priest and Trick Williams. He even said that Zayn could come back around and get his rematch if he wanted. He didn’t mention Rhodes’ name, but the “American Nightmare” came out uncalled and marched his way down to the ring.
“I don’t think you and I can run away from each other anymore,” Punk told Rhodes.
Cody Rhodes looks on during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., on July 10, 2026. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images)
Rhodes agreed and mentioned that Punk would want a match with him, just “say when.” It was a quick retort from Punk, who said, “when.” SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis, who was in the ring for the segment, booked the match for SummerSlam.
Punk will defend the Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam, which takes place Aug. 1 and 2 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
First, however, Punk and Rhodes will be involved in a tag team match at Saturday Night’s Main Event in New York City next week. Aldis made the match after Gunther demanded that Aldis put him in a match against Punk. Gunther was hoping it would be for the championship. Instead, Gunther will tag with Zayn.
Gunther didn’t take too kindly to that and attacked Aldis. Rhodes came back out to break up the calamity. He wanted to take on Gunther after the show went off air but Gunther walked away.
Gunther makes his entrance during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., on July 10, 2026. (Rich Wade/WWE via Getty Images)
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Punk definitely has his hands full as he moves to SmackDown to become a fighting champion.
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