Manchester City have forgotten how to win – here's three ways Pep Guardiola can fix it
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Such was the nature of Manchester City’s staggering collapse against Feyenoord on Tuesday night that the frustration was visibly etched upon Pep Guardiola’s face.
Arriving for his post-match press conference with several scratch marks on his forehead and a cut on his nose, the game’s closing stages had clearly taken their toll on the Spaniard.
And perhaps for good reason. For the first time in his career, Guardiola saw his side fail to win a match after leading by three goals.
City are still breaking records – just not the right kind.
Their winless run – now up to six – means the club have also conceded two or more goals in six successive matches in all competitions for the first time since May 1963. Something is not right.
The task for Guardiola does not get any easier, though. City have just four days to lick their wounds before a crunch Premier League fixture against Liverpool. Lose and they would fall 11 points behind Arne Slot’s side and perhaps out of the Premier League title race.
City desperately need a change of fortunes, so what could Guardiola do to try and arrest their slide?
Trust Manuel Akanji in midfield again
Filling the void left by Rodri’s season-ending injury still appears Guardiola’s most complex puzzle to solve.
With Matteo Kovacic missing for the last two games, City have deployed Ilkay Gundogan in the deepest midfield role but the German’s lack of height and dwindling ability to get around the pitch effectively has left his side vulnerable in transition.
In need of a more physical presence at the base of his midfield, Guardiola would be wise to turn to Manuel Akanji who was deployed there on several occasions last season alongside Rodri.
A centre-back by trade, the Swiss international has impressed higher up the pitch but hasn’t been seen in that role since a 3-3 draw with Tottenham in December last year. Now could be the time to give him another shot.
John Stones could also be trusted in that role, but given his fitness issues it feels like too much of a risk to deploy the Englishman in midfield right now.
Take Kyle Walker out of the firing line
Kyle Walker has been one of the ever-presents in City’s side during Guardiola’s tenure but the full-back may slowly be beginning to show signs of his age in his recent performances.
Walker’s right flank was consistently targetted by Bournemouth when Andoni Iraola’s side triumphed 2-1 in early November, with the winning goal coming a bi-product of Walker’s inability to recover in time and block the cross that was eventually turned home by Evanlison.
And last weekend against Tottenham, Walker saw himself comfortably beaten for pace by Timo Werner as the German laid it on a plate for Brennan Johnson to score Spurs’ fourth goal.
The 34-year-old has already been rested for City’s last two Champions League games, but Guardiola may be tempted to roll the dice and give his captain an extended spell on the sideline, especially given the early-season form of Rico Lewis when Walker was injured.
Revert to the attacking ways of old
While City’s talismanic striker scored two in midweek, he has notched up just two in his last seven games despite registering 8.03 expected goals (xG) during that period.
Having sold Julian Alvarez and Liam Delap in the summer, and with Oscar Bobb still out injured, Guardiola has no real alternatives to lead his line but could look to make some subtle changes to get Haaland firing again.
One key change could be reshaping his front three to have his wingers providing the width instead of full-backs Walker and Josko Gvardiol.
Such a change could re-energise the likes of Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku and Phil Foden, who have just one league goal between them, while also creating more chances for Haaland who thrived off cutbacks and through balls from wide forwards during his first two seasons.
Time will tell what Guardiola chooses to do but he must find the solution soon or risk seeing his hopes of a successful season fade away by Christmas.
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