Man City manager Pep Guardiola faces a crisis at the Etihad Stadium. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Man City and Pep Guardiola find themselves in an unprecedented position as the Premier League champions have lost their last four games in the competition, leaving plenty of questions ahead of the January transfer window.
The Manchester side were convincingly beaten by title rivals Liverpool on Sunday and the setback at Anfield has left Guardiola’s men fifth in the table, 11 points behind the Reds.
Winning a fifth consecutive Premier League crown looks very difficult for Man City, but their season can still be successful if key issues are addressed before the second half of the campaign.
Speaking to the press on Tuesday ahead of Man City’s upcoming Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, Guardiola gave the media an insight into the approach the Manchester club will take to signings heading into the transfer market January
“We will talk internally about what is best in January,” Guardiola told reporters City Xtra. “It depends on the position and the situation we are in at the moment.”
What has happened to Man City this season?
Many pundits and fans have pointed to Rodri’s absence as why Man City have struggled so much this season given the Spaniard’s importance to the Premier League champions.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner was ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a double knee injury during City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal in September and the absence of Mateo Kovacic has made this situation even worse.
Man City’s midfield has been a big problem for Guardiola, as the legendary coach has yet to find a solution to Rodri’s absence. The former Barcelona manager attempted to field Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva as a duo against Liverpool on Sunday, only for the Reds to deal with them with ease, with the A 53-year-old man who was showing signs that the pressure was getting to him.
A new signing could help the Premier League champions in January City have recently been linked with Real Madrid’s Federico Valverdebut only time will tell if the Manchester club follow that path.
