New Delhi: Manchester City are under a tremendous amount of pressure after losing five consecutive games in all competitions and last night’s humiliation at Etihad by the hands of Ange Postecoglu’s Tottenham has given a clear indication that the walls are tumbling down for the defending English champions. It is pretty clear that Pep has missed the presence of their Ballon D’or winner, Rodri, who suffered a serious ACL injury a couple of months back during a game against Arsenal.
However. Rodri’s absence isn’t the only problem that is brewing for Pep’s side as the game against Tottenham has exposed Manchester City’s vulnerabilities on the pitch. City’s playing style and on-pitch tactics used to be a massive factor behind their dominance. The fluidity on the pitch and short possession game under the guidance of master tactician, Pep Guardiola, made them a stand-out performers in the English Premier League. Their style of play has always been a massive reason behind their dominance and the fear they have produced all around Europe.
Recently, nothing seems to be going Pep Guardiola’s way as City have looked extremely shaky at the back and their attacking threat and creativity on the pitch is looking blunt. Besides the fact that they are missing the influential presence of Rodri, there are further massive problems that need to get resolved before it’s to late for Pep’s men.
The need for a new right back is much more evident now
Kyle Walker had a disasterclass against Tottenham at Etihad (via @jeffjthompson)
The last few games have indicated a new problem for Pep Guardiola. Kyle Walker has been a long servant for City and he has been a prominent figure at the club for the past eight yearfs now, but the ageing right back has looked rather shaky in defence, something which has not been the case in the past few seasons. The former Spurs player had a nightmare of a game against his former club last night, as Son and Maddison managed to obilerate the helpless defender.
The 33-year-old looks way past his prime and City do not quite have a proper replacement for him. With Rico Lewis playing as a defensive midfielder to fill in the ‘Rodri gap’, it is important that City take this issue into consideration and look out for a new quality right back. The current possible options include the likes of Jeremy Frimpong of Bayer Leverkusen, Pedro Porro of Tottenham, who scored against City last night and also Girona FC’s Arnau Martinez. These players can fit in well into this Man City side and could possibly play a key role in replacing the City veteran, Kyle Walker.
No creativity and midfield disasterclass
Ilkay Gundogan playing for Manchester City (via @Jiji_Byte)
There is no doubt about the fact that the injury to Rodri has affected the defensive shield and the protection that the Spaniard used to provide in that City midfield. However, that is not the only lacking issue that the team is facing currently as when it comes to creativity on the pitch, City have been extremely poor, something that you can’t expect from a them considering the reputation they have made over the years under Pep Guardiola.
However, despite the fact that City managed to bring in their club legend, Ilkay Gundogan back from Barcelona, it cannot be said that he has been the best replacement as of now. Besides, Matteo Kovacic has had a decent start to the season and he is a player who can provide a good shift for this Manchester City side, but the way Rodri has impacted this club is something that cannot be matched that easily.
City have always been a club who would top their playmaking on the pitch, despite having the worst of games, but this season, there have been just too many miss passes, be it from the back or in the midfield.
It has never been thi way for City and this is a situation that they are not used to. We can call it a crisis, but their master tactician always has a plan. If City manage to take these problems into consideration, they might just manage to turn things around by the month of March. However, they face an extremely confident Liverpool side, who have been on a hunt lately and Pep’s men need to give it their all to make sure that they get back on track and produce that pressure on the table toppers.
Tottenham batter Manchester City at Etihad and expose their on pitch troubles. Rodri’s absence might not be the only big Problem for Pep Guardiola and Man City Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
