In PSG's attack, City faced 26 shots – the highest total against them since the Champions League match against Real Madrid in September 2012 when the Spaniards had 35 shots.
The sight of Matheus Nunes – the striker – at right-back, with Kyle Walker close to completing his move to Milan, demonstrated the kind of muddled thinking that has clouded City and Guardiola's season, an imbalance that needs to be addressed.
He was completely at sea, as was other substitute Rico Luís, as PSG swept wide areas at will, with Bradley Barkola, Desire Doe and substitute Ousmane Dembélé leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
However, this loss was a collective failure for coach and team as City threatened to collapse, and then it did as they conceded four goals for the first time in a match since their 5-2 loss at home to Leicester City in September 2020.
Even after taking a 2-0 lead, City never looked for any shape or form to manage the game. Guardiola regards possession as nine-tenths of football's law – here they were guilty of criminal negligence, and Dembele's goal three minutes after Haaland's second was a major turning point.
Guardiola, as he stood overwhelmed and stunned on the bench, powerless to prevent a defeat that should have been more certain, may now realize he has a bigger rebuilding task ahead of him than he thought.
Kevin De Bruyne looked great in his 33 years, as did Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic, both 30, as PSG's energy in and out of possession exposed every weakness that has haunted City this season. Both De Bruyne and Kovacic were substituted after 70 minutes.
The statistics represent bleak reading for Guardiola, as City failed to achieve a win after leading nine matches in all competitions this season (four losses and five draws), the most of any team in the English Premier League in 2024/25.
City have lost their last three Champions League matches away from home, their second-longest losing streak since a four-game losing streak between November 2011 and December 2012 under Roberto Mancini.
It was the first time they lost a match by two goals since their 3-2 defeat to Brighton in May 2021.
