No win in last 4 EPL games… What’s wrong with Man City?

Pep Guardiola has led Manchester City to an unparalleled level of success since his arrival in 2016 wining 14 major honours at the club. His five Premier League titles include the most recent one, which contributed to the historic treble that was achieved last season.

However, as they have now not won a premier league game in four matches, Manchester City has shown that they are a flawed team lately but what is the problem in paradise?

In his pre-match conference on Tuesday before his team lost to Aston Villa the following day where City managed to attempt just two shots and faced 22, Pep admitted to the “How I saw the team, with the problems that we have, changing the core of the team — the midfield players are completely opposite to what we have the last seasons — we change many things but we are quite stable, create more chances, concede fewer than the opponents.”

Undoubtedly, this is the core of their current problem, which have resulted in three straight draws in the Premier League, an unconvincing Champions League victory over RB Leipzig, and now this 1-0 loss at Villa Park where they were outplayed more than at any other point in the incredible Guardiola era.

The players who have fueled their success in recent years, not least their 2022–23 treble, have been absent for most of this season, some crucial moments of it, or even the entire season due to injury, suspension, or the transfer market. This have indeed changed the team’s core.

Jack Grealish has been inconsistent (both in terms of form and fitness) and Kevin De Bruyne has played just 20 minutes this season. John Stones has not played much, and Rodri has been out numerous times. Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan left last summer. The reason is already staring at us if City does not appear like themselves.

Injuries happen to all teams but City’s reputation as big spenders will make them appear less sympathetic than any other team, it is not just a matter of missing some players, It is the kind of players they have been missing.

Do you recall those games where City simply keep the ball and not giving their opponents not even a corner? That was because of the fact that they have relied on players like Grealish, Mahrez, kevin, Gundogan, Stones, and Rodri to make the proper decision of recycling possession even though it may not pose a threat to the opposition at that moment, but it is still preferable to losing control, even for a single counterattack.

The Citizens will always be a threat and will never win much compassion as long as they have players like Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez, and Jeremy Doku on the team, all of whom are attempting to combine with Erling Haaland. They are all outstanding players who have helped City to the top of the Premier league table not too long ago.

However, it is only natural that since they are all such direct players, the game will become more direct for the team. It was clear early in the season that City was winning, but not always comfortably, and it has become even more apparent recently when playing the top teams.

Guardiola prefers to have control of the game as much as possible, even if it does not fit the type of players he has at his disposal. Another manager might feel comfortable taking a more direct approach, say, in difficult away games against Villa or Arsenal. That has been effective a lot this season, even somewhat when City visited Arsenal two months ago, but it did lead to a disjointed performance last night.

Even so, they played well against Liverpool in late November and certainly in the first half against Tottenham on Sunday, but if they were a bit short of their best in those games, then they were worst at Villa Park.

Rodri’s absence is certainly another factor, and it is linked to the other types of players missing. He is another controller unavailable for selection, with no direct replacement and the straw that has broken the camel’s back in City’s crisis period.

Following Wolves’ 2-1 victory over City at the end of September, manager Gary O’Neil was candid about how his team’s task was made easy by Rodri’s absence from the pitch. The following weekend, when City played Arsenal, Guardiola adjusted his strategy completely to help close the gap, essentially packing the middle of the pitch with players to maintain as much control as possible. Against Villa, the strategy seemed similar, knowing they would be up against a top side that was vibrant and high calibre.

Since De Bruyne does not give them control, his return might not be enough to turn things around for the Manchester club. Just look back to the 2019–20 season, when he got 20 assists but City was still open to counterattacks.

Whatever it takes, this run of results is obviously something that cannot continue for much longer and Guardiola is not holding back in acknowledging that and we know Pep to be a genius that usually find answers to his sides problems just like before.

Last season, he discovered the solutions rather late on: Stones’ shift to midfield was what swung the tide in favour of the treble and by moving Joao Cancelo all the way up the pitch in December of the previous season, he helped City. They defeated opponents in close title races in 2018 despite losing back-to-back games over the Christmas break. They went on to win their next 14 games.

It will be foolish to write them off, even after dropping points in their last four games, and the return of those injured players will undoubtedly be very beneficial.

See also: Man City’s first UCL, Messi’s 8th Ballon D’or… Unforgettable football moments of 2023