Man City will put Pep Guardiola's international break theory to the test vs Brighton

Two defeats in a row is excusable. Three would start to become problematic.

Before City's back-to-back losses in the Premier League, the last time they 'achieved' that feat was 2018. If they were to lose three in a row, it would be a first under Pep Guardiola at City, and only the second time the boss has achieved that in his 528 league games as a manager.

Forgetting the wider, eye-catching stats, another defeat would be a further setback in City's stuttering October, potentially pushing them five points adrift of top spot. Guardiola made it clear that a win against Brighton on Saturday is necessary in the wider picture of City's season.

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After facing Brighton - a game Guardiola says will be one of their toughest of the season - City face Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and an in-form Aston Villa in their following six fixtures. Going into that run on the back of three successive defeats would be less than ideal.

Defender Manu Akanji insists the squad are aware things must improve, suggesting that City didn't play with their best team at Wolves and paid the price, albeit with injuries and suspensions impacting Guardiola's side. He rued Arsenal's win at the Emirates, but noted they can't afford to drop their standards against Brighton.

"In the Premier League, you really go in with your best teams and we didn’t do it against Wolves, where I feel like we should have done better," he said. "It wasn’t like we had a lot of opportunities, but I feel like we should have done better in some parts of the game.

"We all know that we