Manchester City, the reigning treble winners, are in unfamiliar territory. The cracks in their otherwise seamless system have begun to show, with injuries exposing vulnerabilities.
Chief among these challenges is the absence of Rodri, arguably the most integral cog in Pep Guardiola’s machine. Without the Spanish midfielder orchestrating the play, City have stumbled to five consecutive losses—a streak unprecedented in Guardiola’s illustrious career.
While City’s squad depth is the envy of many, the void left by Rodri has proven almost impossible to fill, with Pep trying the likes of Kovacic and Rico Lewis, nothing seems to do the trick.
When you encounter 5 losses in a row, any manager comes under the scanner, and for Pep for the first time in a long time he’s in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. This rough patch comes shortly after Guardiola’s contract extension, a move that often boosts performances.
But rival fans have seized this moment of vulnerability to revel in City’s struggles. Arsenal and Manchester United fans, in particular, have been vocal in their taunts.
However a die-hard Man City fan and also Man City content creator, Big Steve Mcfc has hit back with a compelling response that has pretty much shut down anything a rival could say against City.
Taking to TikTok on Monday, Big Steve addressed the elephant in the room: City’s five-game losing streak. “Man City’s lost five in a row, they’re getting relegated. Yeah, it’s bad times,” he began, acknowledging the bad situation his club is in.
He also had an immediate reaction to the battering City took from Spurs, where he seemed lost as to how to defend his club City and their performances.
But then came the twist and change in tone: “I looked at the table this morning and realised, we’re SECOND!” While the streak is undoubtedly concerning, Steve’s point is clear—even in their worst form under Guardiola, City remain in a position most clubs would envy.
This seems baffling as an outsider, the fact that City started this 5-game run in second, and after dropping 9 points in the league (the other 2 losses came in the Champions League and League Cup) they still sit in second. You’d expect that after a poor run like this, a team would drop by at least a place or two, if not more.
Big Steve didn’t stop there. He turned his attention to Arsenal fans who’ve been quick to gloat. “I’ve had a few Arsenal fans saying, ‘Stay humble, yeah, stay humble.’ Well, you need to stay humble, lads. You’re below us,” he quipped, delivering a reality check to the Gunners.
Arsenal have also had only 2 wins in their last 5 games across all competitions; while they won their recent game against Nottingham Forest, prior to that was a draw and a loss against Chelsea and Newcastle, respectively, results that don’t give their fanbase bragging rights.
What would be a reaction video from a Man City fan without some City-United banner:
Steve then directed his ire at Manchester United fans, who have taken glee in City’s misfortunes despite their own dismal start to the season.
“The odd mob over the road, who are not even in the top 10, taking bedsheets to the game, spraying it, something about Amorim and City never winning. It didn’t even make sense, lads,” he said, poking fun at United fans’ bizarre banner that was seen in Amorim’s debut game. Steve’s humor hit a nerve, cutting through the noise with undeniable accuracy.
He also addressed a more broad narrative around Man City—that City doesn’t have fans and that nobody cares about the blue side of Manchester.
I thought nobody cared about City?” Steve questioned. “My last TikTok done nearly a quarter of a million views! Bit strange considering nobody cares about City. YouTube yesterday, around 20k views. So, make it make sense.”
While these numbers might not cover a global perspective, they do highlight that whether in the form of criticism, memes, or outright obsession, there’s always eyes on City.
Big Steve has done his job putting United and Arsenal fans in their place, now it’s to be seen how Man City go about resolving issues. This may well be Guardiola’s biggest challenge to date: rallying his team, reestablishing their dominance, and silencing the noise from rivals.