Manchester City are going through a disappointing run with just one win in their last 10 games. It is hard to believe that a team with a top-class squad and a talented coach like Pep Guardiola is in this situation. In fact, the situation could continue for the Etihad team.
The "blue half" of Manchester is stuck in a vicious cycle, where a series of key players are injured, while the remaining players show signs of fatigue. This makes the team, which lacks strength and flexibility in midfield due to Rodri's long-term absence, more vulnerable to counter-attacking situations.
"Currently, it seems that every attack we have to accept is extremely dangerous. I felt that sometimes the whole team was a bit careless in the challenges. Instead of playing simply, we make things more complicated and miss the right time to pass the ball or release the ball.
We keep losing the ball and they score from transition situations. The players have to chase 50, 60 meters. That is not the way Man City plays. We are built to control the ball, keep the ball, be strong and even if you can't do anything in the challenge, don't lose the ball. At the moment, things are not going as expected, Ilkay Gundogan shared after the defeat to Juventus.
Man City have shown their weaknesses in counter-attacking situations right after Rodri's injury, but at least they can still win against Fulham and Wolves at the beginning of the season. That could be the level of The Citizens if they had all their key players. Even if not in their best form, Guardiola's army is certainly not so weak as to win only 1 out of 10 matches.
Pep Guardiola and the coaching staff have hoped everything will improve after the November national team's training session with many key players in the squad returning from injury. However, Man City's efforts to return to near-best form have been thwarted once again.
John Stones was forced off in his first game back. Even Man City's victory over Nottingham Forest was overshadowed by injuries to Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake, the impact of which was clearly seen in the following two matches. The Citizens also suffered further losses in terms of personnel when Mateo Kovacic and Phil Foden were both unable to play.
Foden has failed to replicate his brilliant form from last season when De Bruyne was out for about 10 weeks, which has greatly affected Man City's creativity. In addition, Guardiola's army also showed signs of fatigue in the remaining positions. In particular, the Citizens' attack has never shown such a serious deadlock as it is now.
The solution is to give the players back to me and the whole team will do it but that is not possible right now. Our four defenders returned last week and continued to have problems.
They should have needed time to train and get used to the rhythm of the game, but we cannot do that in the current situation. The players have played persistently for many years and there will come a time when their bodies cannot take it anymore" - Pep Guardiola shared.
During his time in charge of Man City, Pep Guardiola rotated players continuously but he had to use Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan in 6 consecutive matches since FIFA Days in November. Those who have just returned from injury such as De Bruyne or Ruben Dias also have to struggle to play. This is not the way Pep wants to manage his team.
Foden and Kovacic have been on the bench in Turin but have not come on, which means they could have to play immediately in the Manchester Derby this weekend. They will bring freshness and a bit of excitement but probably won't really solve the problems in counter-attacking situations. Currently, Man City's midfield only has Dias, Gvardiol, Walker and young talent Simpson-Pusey ready to play.
In fact, Man United's situation is not much better and Man City's class is still rated higher than that of their big rivals in the same city. However, with concerns about Pep Guardiola and Ilkay Gundogan, it is difficult to see things at the Etihad improving consistently immediately.
