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Manchester City have lost five matches in a row following Saturday’s defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur. Here, Telegraph sport highlights the areas Pep Guardiola needs to strengthen if he is to halt their slide.
Problem: black hole left by Rodri
The Ballon d’Or winner received a stunning reception before the Tottenham defeat, with the entire pitch covered in a banner in his honor and his name literally under bright lights. As Pep Guardiola admits, his presence is as important as that of Lionel Messi in his great Barcelona team.
“People talk about Rodri and, of course, he is the best player in the world,” Guardiola said. “Imagine in Barcelona when Messi was the best player, without him that season, would I have won the treble? No. Win six times in a row without Messi? I don’t win six.
Rodri sets the pace of the game for City in his position just in front of the back line, winning the ball over his central defenders. His protection of defenders is also a key means that City have used over the past five seasons.
Solution
Guardiola is not helped by Mateo Kovacic returning injured from duty in Croatia last week. But a more defensive midfield would solidify City, perhaps with John Stones or Manuel Akanji in that role.
Problem: counting on Haaland
Goals from the Premier League’s most prolific current striker have dried up during City’s run of five consecutive defeats. He scored once in those games, the opener in the defeat at Brighton. You can’t point the finger at a player who has 15 goals in 17 appearances this season and is still by far the top scorer in the Premier League this season – but he needs others to find their scoring touch when he has a day of rest.
Phil Foden had chances against Spurs in the first half that would have changed the course of the match, while Savinho tried his luck from long range but met Italian goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario in excellent form.
Solution
Beyond “finish better,” there’s not much more Haaland’s teammates can do. Bringing forwards such as Foden closer to Haaland could be an option in a very subtle tweak to Guardiola’s system.
Problem: defensive fragility
It was accurate, but still surprising, to hear Guardiola describe his team as ‘fragile’ after the 4-0 defeat to Spurs. Ange Postecoglou clearly targeted City’s full-backs, with Kyle Walker outplayed by Son Heung-min, while Josko Gvardiol looked uncomfortable despite spending most of his time at City as a left rear.
City’s ‘expected goals conceded’ is up from last season, from 0.79 to 1.25, indicating that teams are exceeding them more. Ruben Dias suffered a huge loss, missing four of five consecutive defeats, while John Stones has not had a consistent run in the team since Guardiola was angered by his injured return from England duty last March.
Solution
Ruben Dias in the back line will help. He is an organizer of teammates and leads by example.
Problem: team age
Guardiola was asked about his team’s progress when he signed his two-year contract extension last week. He clearly thought about it, because he knew without warning that City would have 12 out of 30 players in their squad next season. Nathan Ake and Akanji will turn 30 this season and Jack Grealish at the start of the next campaign.
The form of Walker, 34, has declined over the course of 2024. Once unbeatable in a straight sprint – see his battles with Vinicius Junior – he has looked vulnerable since the European Championship. He will still be an important player for City, as will 30-year-olds like Kevin De Bruyne, but their roles could be adapted.
“These guys have won six Premier Leagues. I would love for these players that we have here to stay here for 10 years but I would have loved to have Vinny Kompany here or David Silva,” Guardiola said. “It depends on the performances. You have a good performance, no injury, that’s it. One more year, two more years as long as your energy is there, but we have 12 players over 30. We have to see what happens and I want to see it for myself first. , we will decide.
Solution
Walker can play in central defense as he has done recently for England, while De Bruyne could adapt his game to suffer fewer injuries.
Problem: Transfer policy allowing players to leave
Guardiola has been kind to players who wish to leave. There is no problem staying: they are shown the exit if they wish to leave and a club comes to offer regular first team football.
This creates a more harmonious team, but how much City would have loved Cole Palmer in their squad over the last couple of years. His form at Chelsea would have earned a place in Guardiola’s team. Julián Alvarez was allowed to join Atlético Madrid and he was the team’s perfect player, providing support to Haaland but also effective in a number 10 role. Even Liam Delap, allowed to leave for Ipswich in the summer, would have been valuable coming off the bench.
Solution
A policy change allowing players to leave is unlikely, but being more selfish in the market would benefit City.
Problem: moving from box to box
Two months ago, Haaland told Mikel Arteta to “stay humble” following City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal. This match, however, was an indicator of where City were at. They got out of jail thanks to John Stones’ equalizer and have been unconvincing since then.
They dropped points at Newcastle in their next game and wins against Fulham, Wolves and Southampton were narrow, with the win at Molineux coming down to a controversial VAR decision for Stones’ winner. Guardiola said after the Spurs defeat that “we are not a team that goes box to box 40 times a game”, allowing teams to gain the upper hand with quick counter-attacks.
Solution
Guardiola is not one to change his approach and start playing on the counter-attack, so he will look for a way to dominate games without Rodri, using the players at his disposal.
Problem: a cloud hangs over the club
Guardiola suggested 75 per cent of Premier League clubs wanted City relegated due to alleged financial violations, something the champions strenuously deny. The City manager has been regularly asked if this has had an impact on his team and the answer is the same every time: they have won titles despite the accusations and allegations made against them.
Solution
There is no solution to this one. Wait for the decision.
