Pep shock, mysterious injuries and Haaland’s fury: why Manchester City can’t win anymore
Manchester City have suffered four successive defeats for the first time in 18 years and manager Pep Guardiola admits he does not know if he can turn things around.
Seventeen games into the season and Manchester City are in crisis, according to Pep Guardiola.
Guardiola has been surprisingly upbeat after four straight defeats at Brighton and has taken it easy that City’s era of dominance could be over.
He knows the root of their problems this season can be traced back to persistent injury problems rooted in a never-ending schedule.
It could be said that City are victims of their own success, but Guardiola insists it will not be for lack of misery if his era ends. injury, harm, injury
Guardiola said things will change once the injured players return. He is right. This season, 11 players have missed matches or been unavailable due to fitness issues or injuries.
This corresponds to individual cases where 45 players were disqualified. The current injury count is 9 with at least 2 players still available but not fully injured.
Teenagers were quickly brought in from the academy to fill the void, while other players such as Rico Luis and Josco Guardiola were used more than Guardiola would have liked. Their performances are starting to show that, but they are better equipped to start three games a week. Some lesions, such as Rodri or Oscar Bobb, are easy to explain. Others were mysterious and more qualitative, such as the constant absence of Greek or Jeremy Doku’s repetitive muscle problems.
Phil Foden said he and others were suffering from “fatigue” after the summer break. And Guardiola’s insistence that players play through pain adds to the mystery surrounding some of the most enduring failures.
Seventeen games into the season and Manchester City are in crisis, according to Pep Guardiola. Guardiola was surprisingly upbeat after witnessing a fourth successive defeat at Brighton, calmly accepting that City’s era of dominance could be coming to an end.
He knows the roots of their problems this season can be traced back to their persistent injury problems, which in turn are rooted in their endless schedule. You can say that the city is the victim of their achievements, but Guardiiola can be said to be of that age is not due to the lack of vidgs.
Injuries, wounds, wounds
When the influenced player returns, Guarda says everything will be different. He is right. Eleven players are out or unavailable this season due to health or injury.
This means that there are 45 instances where a player did not play in a match. The current injury tally stands at nine, with at least two other players completely unfit.
Teenagers were quickly brought in from the academy to fill the void, while other players such as Rico Luis and Josco Guardiola were used more than Guardiola would have liked.
Despite being better equipped to start three games a week, their performance is starting to show. Some injuries are easily explained, such as those of Rhodri and Oscar Bob.
There are also more mysterious and unexplained issues, such as Grealish’s prolonged absence or Jeremy Doku’s recurring muscle problems. Phil Foden said he and others were “tired” after the summer games, and Guardiola’s insistence that his players play through pain adds to the mystery surrounding the regular absences. Rodri was sent off during Manchester City’s Premier League match against Arsenal.
Currently, four of their centre-backs, a Ballon d’Or-winning defensive midfielder, a £200m signing and player of the summer are all out. Once you get them back, your city will automatically be in good shape.
Too easy to deal with
Take the Brighton defeat for example. Guardiola said City gave up the lead because they were too tired to apply pressure after 90 minutes. The sloppy defensive play collapsed and a goal was scored in the middle again.
Of the 20 goals City have conceded in 17 games, 30% have come from direct attacks in midfield and 35% have come from counterattacks after opponents have lost the ball in transition. There were three penalties. Everyone was in transition. There were three shots from distance and a header from a corner kick.
City have developed a nasty habit of conceding first at the start of the season and after taking the lead are now conceding plenty of goals.
Is it a matter of mindset or are opposing teams getting bolder against the champions?
It’s to be expected when the defense changes every week. Mateo Kovacic has performed well in Rodri’s absence but says he needs someone to play alongside him. There is a clear lack of experience in central defense and midfield.
Key players struggle under pressure
Erling Haaland’s face boiling, seeing another goal coming, and hitting the ball into the center circle to restart has been a defining feature of the last four defeats. However, there have been problems before. There have only been four games in which Manchester City have controlled from start to finish, two of which were in the Champions League against Slovan Bratislava and Sparta Prague.
Haaland was booked against Brighton for a last-minute tackle on Jan Paul van Heke, and at Bournemouth he collapsed on the pitch in anger after another cross went over his head. He missed several opportunities in a series of defeats, and after each defeat he could be seen walking down the players’ tunnel with an angry gesticulation.
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