But it is not just about the Guardiola announcement. Between Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sept 12 and Watford on January 2 City did not win an away league match. That is almost four months. They have won only one since – the Sunderland game - and have not racked up successive league victories since October.

City should be winning the title. With Chelsea’s implosion, Arsenal’s weakness and Manchester United’s chaos they should be streets ahead by now with the squad they possess. They won their first five games in the league, conceding only one goal, and were plainly the team to beat. I wrote that it was their championship to lose and they now appear to be losing it.

After Kiev, City host Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. They have two matches to get their campaign back on track, or at least build momentum for the run-in. It is the minimum that can now be expected from a team that has underachieved so badly this season and players who should be in for a rude awakening this summer when Guardiola finally stands in front of them.

Walcott speaks too soon - again

The problem with Theo Walcott revealing after the 4-0 FA Cup replay victory over Hull City that Arsenal's players held a crisis meeting to try to get their season back on track is that you cannot then go and lose at home to Watford. OK, the Hull game ended a run of five matches without a win but it was a victory over a Championship club, whose priority is promotion and who made seven changes to Arsenal’s six.