Last season, Manchester City’s battle for the title shouldn’t have been as difficult as it was, but they fought tooth and nail against an equally resilient Liverpool side, ending up with a record points haul at the top of the Premier League table.
The side’s attractive style of play led them to a domestic treble, and for a while, it seemed that no one could stop the well-oiled machine that the side had become – but that hasn’t been the case this season.
A 3-2 loss to Norwich in early September began a slow decline this season. They’ve scored fewer goals, let more in, and accrued less points than at this point last season – so what’s gone wrong?
Arguably their main problem this season has been their haphazard defence – goalkeeper Ederson has been as strong as ever, but there’s a hole in front of him that few players could ever fit – a hole in the shape of Vincent Kompany.
Kompany was a commanding leader and a huge presence in the citizens’ dressing room last year, and helped organise a defence that, occasionally looked shaky. His departure has left City with only three recognised centre-backs: the aging Nicolas Otamendi, the error-prone John Stones, the technically gifted, but injury-prone Aymeric Laporte.
It’s clear that City need to invest in a leader in this position, because a mixture of poor performances and injury problems have often meant that deep-lying midfielders Fernandinho and Rodri have had to play there.
And that leads us on to our second problem – the defensive midfielder. Almost £70 million was spent on Rodri in the summer, and he was meant to take over from an aging Fernandinho. But while his performances have been solid, it’s been clear from day one that he’s just not the same type of player.
Fernandinho is a battling, ball winning midfielder, whereas Rodri is more technically gifted, operating as a deep-lying playmaker. And while both positions are useful, without the former, there’s been no bite in City’s midfield – mix that with their clear defensive problems, and you’re left with very weak performances in your own half.
And lastly, there’s the team’s wingers. Man City arguably have four world-class wingers: the goalscoring Raheem Sterling, the pacey Leroy Sané, the tricky Riyad Mahrez and the playmaking Bernardo Silva. Last year, these players were regularly rotated, leaving opposition never sure what to expect, but this season, Guardiola has stuck with Sterling and Mahrez, leading to a predictable approach.
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