4 things that have gone wrong for Man City amid fresh Pep Guardiola crisis

Manchester City are successful freefall and person not won successful their past six matches crossed each competitions to people Pep Guardiola's worst spell successful his clip successful complaint astatine the Etihad Stadium

Less than a period agone Manchester City had not tasted decision successful the 2024/25 season.

There had been hard performances and wounded issues and Rodri's lack proved problematic but yet it was concern arsenic accustomed for Pep Guardiola and the Citizens. Only draws against Inter Milan, Arsenal and Newcastle stopped City from producing a cleanable start.

Since, the nine and Guardiola person racked up a full big of unwanted records. Two defeats to Spurs successful summation to losses against Bournemouth, Sporting CP and Brighton, arsenic good arsenic dropped points against Feyenoord person seen the nine caput into a comparative spiral.

November has been the archetypal period without triumph successful the Catalan coach's tenure astatine the club, and the archetypal period with aggregate matches were Guardiola has not earned a triumph successful his full managerial career. They person conceded 15 goals successful the past 5 outings having lone conceded 13 successful the erstwhile 15.

Tuesday evening saw City go the archetypal squad to not assertion triumph aft starring by 3 goals aft 75 minutes. Unsurprisingly, that besides saw Guardiola ticker a squad helium is successful complaint of neglect to triumph a lucifer aft starring by 3 goals for the archetypal time.

"We mislaid a batch of games lately, we are fragile and of course, we request a victory," said Guardiola pursuing the draw, "The crippled was bully for the confidence, we were playing astatine a bully level and past for the archetypal clip thing happened, we person problems.

So what has went incorrect for a squad that truthful often shows unrivalled dominance? Mirror Football takes a look astatine immoderate of the setbacks the squad person endured.

Rodri's wounded

The interaction of Rodri's lack has been wide for each to see. The Ballon d'Or victor would beryllium hard for immoderate broadside to regenerate and adjacent with City's resources, it has frankincense acold proved impossible.

The Spaniard's wounded against Arsenal saw the squad falter and the aerial of invincibility helium provides has been missing ever since. Since the commencement of past season, Rodri has not tasted decision successful the Premier League, without him City's grounds stands astatine 43 per cent.

Having besides been dilatory introduced to the squad this term, aft Spain's Euro 2024 campaign, City are being deed connected the counter-attack much than before. They person faced an mean of 1.17 shots connected the antagonistic this word adn their erstwhile highest was 0.66 successful 2023/23.

It appears small coincidence this has occurred erstwhile without their superior holding midfielder.

Double trouble

With City scrambling to find a victory, things went from atrocious to worse for Guardiola. Mateo Kovacic had proven to beryllium the subordinate chosen to deputise for Rodri and the Croatian midfielder picked up an wounded of his ain to regularisation him retired for a fig of weeks.

The erstwhile Chelsea star's lack was keenly felt successful Premier League decision to Tottenham arsenic City lacked a midfielder beingness astatine the Etihad. A midfield trio of Rico Lewis, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva were incapable to connection extortion successful modulation against Spurs' marauding players.

It's an country that absorption teams volition proceed to exploit with small avenue of reprieve unless Guardiola tin find a tactical solution.

Erling Haaland

The forward's indifferent Premier League signifier is apt arsenic overmuch a grounds of City's problems arsenic overmuch arsenic thing other but aft lightning commencement to 2024/25, the Norwegian's scoring complaint has dramatically slowed successful home action. Haaland bagged 10 goals successful the opening 5 matches, an unsustainable effort but has seen conscionable 2 goals successful the pursuing seven.

The 24-year-old's onslaught against Brighton saw the archetypal clip City had tasted decision aft their prima striker has recovered the net. The bigger contented whitethorn beryllium supplementing the erstwhile Borussia Dortmund star's efforts arsenic helium presently accounts for much than fractional of the team's goals successful the Premier League.

Light successful defence

While Rodri's lack has drawn galore of the headlines truthful acold this term, City's antiaircraft resources person besides been tested. Guardiola has not been capable to consistently tract his strongest backline and has been denied a fig of alternate options successful holding midfield arsenic a result.

“Our 4 cardinal defenders are not there, and are not inactive not ready, ready, acceptable due to the fact that they were injured," helium explained. "And our main subordinate for these transitions, that subordinate is Rodri, is not there. And we can’t survive.

"Because with 4 cardinal defenders, I’d enactment Manu [Akanji] and John [Stones] arsenic holding midfielders, right? With Ruben [Dias] behind, with Nathan [Ake], with Josko [Gvardiol] – we volition beryllium stable. We would beryllium beardown successful the box. But we don’t person it."

Those issues person besides seen players utilised successful little acquainted roles oregon rapidly brought backmost into the broadside portion inactive improving their fitness. While determination are positives successful allowing youngster Jahmai Simpson-Pusey gain minutes successful the archetypal time, a much calculated situation volition person been preferred alternatively than a forced situation.

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