Six key issues Pep Guardiola's Manchester City must address to avoid further misery

Pep Guardiola’s side will have to step up to win the fifth Premier League title in a row.

The current Manchester City boss will undoubtedly be searching for answers during the November international break after suffering his worst run of results as a manager.

The Premier League winners’ thrilling loss to Brighton on Saturday marked their fourth straight loss across all competitions, one fewer than the total number of games they lost during the previous campaign. The manager, who prides himself on constantly being in control, will undoubtedly have a lot of introspection.

We look at six issues the coach needs to address in order for Manchester City to break out of this downward spiral. Guardiola most likely did not anticipate spending his two weeks away attempting to comprehend what had gone wrong for his all-conquering squad.

6. Bring back balance in midfield

Without Rodri, City are undoubtedly a different team, and their need for him was exposed during the previous campaign when they lost all four of the games for which he received a suspension. With Rodri, City’s victory percentage since the beginning of the previous season is 73.6%; without him, it is 58.3%.

Manchester City still have a talented and experienced midfield even without Rodri. They must, however, cooperate better and return to their reputation as a club that dominates ball games.

5. Be less dependent on Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland had every reason to be furious with his teammates after they gave up the equalizer at the Amex Stadium. Even by his own absurdly high standards, the Norwegian has been held accountable for City’s goals far too often lately.

Although Haaland will always be projected to contribute to City in goals, none of the other regulars are contributing to the team’s success. Manchester City boast plenty of players who are clinical in front of the net. It will be fruitful if other players step up rather than solely depending on the former Borussia Dortmund striker.

The last two occasions that Man City have led at half-time and lost in the Premier League…👋 @OfficialBHAFC pic.twitter.com/etEBKatSbl

— Premier League (@premierleague) November 9, 2024

4. Fix the defence

Due to their recent poor defence, Manchester City have given up more league goals than Manchester United. Indeed, the team that is “falling down” and is a basket case across town has a stronger defence than the four-time in-a-row champs. Therefore, repairing the backline is essential to resolving City’s issues, even though it is much easier said than done.

3. Remain more clinical in front of the goal

It’s odd that City started both of their most recent losses so strongly. And they would have won both if they had taken a few more chances. They had eleven shots before halftime, with Foden giving them the lead in the fourth minute in Lisbon against Sporting CP in the UEFA Champions League.

Similarly, five of the nine shots against Brighton were on goal. The secret to getting back on track and keeping this losing run from getting out of control is to be more assertive in front of the goal.

2. Change in tactical setup

When Manchester City eliminated FC Copenhagen from the Champions League last season by defeating them 3-1 for the second match in three weeks, visiting coach Jacob Neestrup made a humorous statement. “What I take with me after playing City in these two games is they work hard, they work f*cking hard,” he stated. “Not every elite team does it. They put in a lot of effort, so it’s not only the football brain, the knowledge, or the technical aspect.”

By keeping his team motivated to win four straight titles, Guardiola has accomplished what many other successful managers have failed to do. However, it was only a matter of time until that motivation started to diminish just a little bit. Furthermore, the Premier League does not permit any relaxation, as Ilkay Gundogan cautioned.

1. Find Erling Haaland’s backup

When Manchester City transferred Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid for £82 million ($106 million), they made one of their best transactions ever. They made £68 million ($87 million) for a squad player, but it was a very good one. However, instead of reinvesting the money in the team, they made the error of leaving it in the bank. The only summertime additions were Savinho and Gundogan, and neither of them is capable of doing what Alvarez achieved.

After Alvarez left the team, City were unable to find a replacement for the Argentine, who was consistently the team’s second-best goal scorer after Haaland. Alvarez could have relieved the weight on Haaland’s shoulders if he were still at Manchester City.

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