Rodri’s injury, Erling Haaland and Pep Guardiola all play a role in this champion team’s profound collapseEight weeks, 12 games and nine defeats into Manchester City’s descent into the footballing upside down, Pep Guardiola has at least identified the problem.“We haven’t scored the goals we scored before, and we have conceded the goals we didn’t concede,” Guardiola told the BBC cameras after the defeat at Villa Park on Saturday, speaking in that now-familiar watery, rambling drawl, the voice of a man being encouraged by paramedics to talk about defensive injuries and midfield duels in order to keep himself awake until the ambulance arrives. Continue reading...
This article discusses the dramatic downfall of Manchester City, from being world champions in 2023 to struggling mightily in 2024. The main conceptual idea is the jarring contrast between City's previous dominance and their current form. The author highlights the team's "bethwitching and mesmerising" style of play that earned them numerous titles just a year ago, now replaced by a robotic and uninspired performance that has led to numerous defeats. He suggests this stark shift is the key issue facing the team.
