It seems that Rodri's serious knee injury will shape Man City's season. However, no one thought that the absence of the Spanish midfielder would make The Citizens so bad.
Mateo Kovacic is a contract that is considered a temporary solution rather than a reconstruction for Pep Guardiola. And the Croatian midfielder's inability to stop counter-attacks is eroding Man City's hopes of winning the championship. The lack of a defensive midfielder makes them alarmingly vulnerable.
The number of quick counter-attacks leading to shots in goal for Man City is higher than ever under Guardiola. Unable to control their counter-attacks has weakened their playing style.
Up front, the decision to move Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid in the summer left them without a clear replacement for Erling Haaland. The Argentine has scored seven goals during Haaland's injury period last winter. And who will do that now?
Of course, in addition to the sale of Cole Palmer to Chelsea, it is simply understood that Man City is trying to meet the requirements of the Financial Fairness Law. However, the problem lies in the fact that The Citizens still spend money to bring in many expensive new players.
The Etihad team paid £53 million to bring Matheus Nunes from Wolves at the end of last summer. This is a huge fee for a player who has only played 11 Premier League games since then. Even now, Guardiola still does not feel secure in letting this midfielder play.
Jack Grealish, signed for £100 million, has somehow affirmed his position in Man City's treble season. But the reality is that The Citizens have been bringing in other wingers since that season. This shows that the English player's performance was not convincing enough.
Grealish's number of goals has long been an unsolved problem. The striker has not scored for the club in any tournaments in 2024. Similar to Savinho, the rookie has yet to score for Man City.
The presence of Ilkay Gundogan in midfield along with Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva has explained why speed is a big problem for Man City. Kyle Walker also faces similar challenges in defence. Even John Stones is now 30 years old.
There are only three players in the entire current Man City squad aged 25 to 28 - Nunes, Rodri and Ruben Dias. They are the only team in the Premier League that gives most of their playing time to players aged 29 and over.
The development of young talents like Rico Lewis will take time. However, the decline of veterans cannot be stopped. Guardiola will try to fix and cover up these shortcomings, but it will take time and transfer windows to resolve.
