How betting markets reflect Manchester City’s shock slump
Betting markets might not tell the whole story but they do reveal certain underlying truths and, right now, they don’t make easy reading for Pep Guardiola or Manchester City.
This week their wholly unexpected and utterly miserable run continued with a 2-0 defeat against Juventus in Turin that has left them fighting to avoid elimination from the first stage of the Champions League.
It was Manchester City’s seventh defeat in the last 10 games, a sequence that has seen their chances of winning major trophies recede markedly – and raised fresh questions about the future of Pep Guardiola.
That slump is reflected in the drifting odds for City winning the Premier League or Champions League, and the shortening odds on Guardiola departing the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola sacking odds
After months of increasingly feverish speculation, Guardiola appeared to end any uncertainty over his future by signing a contract extension in late November.
Yet less than a month later, some bookmakers now consider him to be the fifth most likely Premier League manager to be next to leave his post. At 14/1, Pep is shorter odds than Everton boss Sean Dyche and Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace.
Manchester City Premier League odds
Manchester City’s Premier League odds have also fluctuated following their surprise collapse, going from 11/8 favourites ahead of the current season to as long as 11/1 with some bookies four months later.
That makes them only fourth favourites to win the trophy again, behind odds-on Liverpool, Arsenal (3/1) and Chelsea (6/1).
In fact City are now roughly the same price to be relegated as they are to win the title.
Manchester City Champions League odds
Manchester City are a shorter price to win the Champions League (7/1) than they are for the domestic title, despite being far from certain of progressing from the league phase.
With just two games left, they lie 22nd out of 36 teams and just one point inside the cut-off zone for advancing to the play-off round.
Before the competition they were among the favourites to finish in the top eight and therefore go straight into the last 16, but that is now all but impossible.
Manchester City to win any major trophy
This might be the most damning one of all: Manchester City are now odds on to win no major trophies this year, and 2/1 to win any major trophy.
As a measure of their fall from grace in recent weeks, it takes some beating.
If you still fancy them to turn their season around, you can get 50/1 on them winning the Premier League and Champions League double, or 150/1 for repeating the treble of two years ago.
Manchester derby odds
Throughout their woeful run, Manchester City have largely retained the faith of bookmakers, who have made them favourites to win all but two of 10 games.
And despite everything, they are odds on to win their next game, Sunday’s derby against Manchester United, who have their own problems.