Manchester City are facing tough options this summer after their period of domestic dominance ended disastrously. They are third, 13 points behind Premier League champions Liverpool.
Man City's squad rebuilding process began in January this year when spending £180 million, but coach Pep Guardiola has rejected a comprehensive overhaul.
First is Rodri's injury. Then there was the decline of Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden. Sometimes it was Erling Haaland. And Guardiola has been criticised.
In fact, Man City have had many problems this season and there is no reason to explain or justify such a disastrous failed campaign.
No trophies. No title. There is no post-season celebration, where Guardiola often shoots fireworks, Haaland and Ederson are in charge of soaking ginseng, while Kyle Walker becomes MC. Having a ticket to the Champions League is already a great thing for Man City.
A positive point is that the scale of the reconstruction process has been widely disclosed. Guardiola has said he only wants a small group of players with high motivation to play. However, they must be players who can play 40-50 games a season.
Too many Man City players have lost form this season. De Bruyne, Foden and Haaland are all among them. Although Haaland's 21 goals are not average and all of them have been plagued by injuries. As a team, they are not the cause of everything.
something could be saved from the rubble if The Citizens beat Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final. Instead, Guardiola's side continue to disappoint.
That defeat was just the latest punch in a long list of disappointments for Man City. There is no doubt that they are entering a new chapter, a chapter without De Bruyne, captain Walker and possibly Ilkay Gundogan.
Man City's recruitment team is looking for younger players. That is certainly the aim of a £180m spending in January this year, with the arrival of Omar Marmoush.
But the problem goes further. All of this has been exposed in a truly strange season for Man City. They started with 5 resounding victories if including the English Super Cup match against Manchester United last August.
It is easy to forget that Man City did not lose a single game until November last year, when everything really collapsed with Rodri's injury. The subsequent collapse came as a complete surprise to the football world. It was as if Man City's hard drive had been hacked, exposing their treasure trove of tactical secrets.
The Etihad outfit have failed to score in six different Premier League games this season. The total number of goals has also decreased, with only 72 goals compared to 96 goals last season.
Guardiola has made three more changes to his starting lineup (112) than any other team, behind only Man United (114) and Tottenham (121), ranked 15th and 17th respectively. The 30 players used have an average age of 27 years and 81 days, up from 26 years last year.
Man City ended the season with their lowest possession rate since Manuel Pellegrini. Their precise passing and skillful movement disappeared unexpectedly.
"We can't do it" - Guardiola confused again at press conferences. Such a level of difficulty is unfamiliar to a talented coach like Guardiola.
"Since I arrived at this club, we have always finished with more than 80 points. This season, we ended with 71 points, far below our standards. Sports and football give you another chance but in fact, we are far behind Liverpool.
We will be exhausted and have no vacation before next season. We have to improve our skills, otherwise we will not be able to compete for titles" - the Spanish strategist added.
