Manchester City fell to a 2-nil to Juventus in their crucial Champions League fixture tonight. The loss leaves Pep Guardiola’s side’s Champions League campaign precariously placed. But watching the game unfold you can see there are problems everywhere for the world champions. Their run of bad results has gone past the point of being a blip. It is now a major concern and the solutions to City’s issues aren’t immediately apparent.
First of all, it has to be said that injuries have decimated Pep Guardiola’s squad. Too much is being left to too few, and you can see that on the pitch. Players like Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Josko Gvardiol, Rico Lewis and Erling Haaland all appear fatigued. With a host of their teammates out injured, it has placed a strain on City’s fit players. But that situation only tells part of the tale.
READ MORE: City player ratings from Manchester City’s 2-nil defeat to Juventus.
Manchester City are too easy to play against and through. That was evident for the second goal Juventus scored tonight. The goal followed a similar pattern that has caused Pep Guardiola’s side immeasurable amounts of heartache over their past 10 games. City give away the ball and their opponents break. They cut through City’s high defensive line and score a simple goal. Rico Lewis was caught out of position, and Kyle Walker failed to track back. Watch a clip of the 23 goals City have conceded over the past 10 games and that type of goal has been scored consistently. That’s a pattern and it must be addressed.
Manchester City have won one game in their past ten in all competitions. That isn’t a blip that is now a massive area of concern. It is just one of several concerns for Pep Guardiola. But his team just aren’t capable of dealing with setbacks currently. That is a massive cause for concern in itself. Typically this team would respond to adversity. Now they tend to shrink when a setback occurs. How that is fixed remains to be seen at this stage. But it simply must be sooner rather than later.
There are concerns everywhere for Manchester City at the moment. Yes, injuries have played a huge part but the solution isn’t just having players return from injury. It’s a lot deeper than that. Tactically teams know how to get at Pep Guardiola’s side. A solution needs to be found to this issue.
One win in ten games isn’t solely down to just injuries and fatigue. It also isn’t just a temporary blip. A multitude of factors contribute to a run like the one Manchester City are currently on. Pep Guardiola needs to find a solution to City’s issues. Preferably in tine for Sunday’s Manchester derby at the Etihad against Manchester United.
But the solution to City’s current rut isn’t immediately apparent. Perhaps that is just as big a concern as the bad run of results in itself.
