Manchester City and Pep Guardiola certainly have a lot to contemplate as they travel back up the M1 this afternoon. A 2-1 defeat to Leicester on a traditional Boxing Day fixture alone is not a cause for concern. What is a concern though, is the manner in which it happened.
Following an unexpected defeat only a few days prior, to Crystal Palace, a reaction was expected from the defending Champions. Today, as with Saturday, it would be City who would take the lead through some intricate play.
However, where in previous games it would signal a City onslaught, recently it has only served to embolden the opposition. On both occasions the Manchester City lead has lasted mere minutes with the difference between now and then clear to the opposition. Manchester City do have defensive frailties, which in itself is nothing new. Walker has had more than his fair share of poor positioning over the last season and a half, and is much more comfortable in attack.
Of course Walker didn’t play today, but it serves to illustrate the point. On the other side is Fabian Delph, who has been caught out in both the last two games. His red card at the end of the game may very well be a blessing in disguise as he cannot now be used for the next three games.
Against Leicester, like Palace, it wasn’t the defensive unit who was totally at fault. In attack Manchester City were slow and lethargic in their build up play. A usually clinical Sergio Aguero was a step off and when Kevin DeBruyne hits a free kick over the heads of everyone and out, you know it’s not your day.
Both are coming back from injury, and both will take time to get back into the flow. The trouble is that, despite significant investment, we do not have replacements for Aguero, KDB or David Silva. When they are out, or off the pace, no one really steps up and grabs the game by the collar.
Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva were meant to provide that backup. In Bernardo I do see some potential for that but Ilkay still fails to impress. Add to that the elephant in the room of a missing Fernandinho and Manchester City’s weaknesses are all too visible.
I am not willing to give up on the title defence just yet though, but we cannot drop many more points, and certainly not lose on January 3rd. Today marked the halfway point with Manchester City on 44 points, 7 behind Liverpool, and a second half of the season still to play.
The last 180 minutes have been shocking from a Manchester City perspective, but the side didn’t turn mediocre overnight. The same problems exist as they did from Peps first season when key players are out. More possession with more shots but less goals to show for it. Poor passes out of defence from Kasper Schmeichel went unpunished in the first half.
Sunday sees a trip to Southampton for the Blues. No Delph in the lineup means a chance for someone else at left back. Minutes under the belts of David Silva, KDB and Sergio Aguero all give me the belief that we get that confidence boost right before the visit of Liverpool.
That doesn’t mean City do not need to react in the transfer window though. An actual left back along with a real replacement for Fernandinho are certainly must haves if the Blues wish to compete on all four fronts.
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