'This was a mistake': Man City told they made a 'serious' error selling former £17m star
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Maybe, just maybe, there are a few simple explanations as to why Manchester City’s Premier League and Champions League campaigns are collapsing like a house of cards in a hurricane.
While some are wondering aloud if Pep Guardiola has lost his magic, whether those 115 charges are proving to be a distraction, perhaps there are other, more obvious reasons staring everybody in the face.
Is this simply a team past it’s peak? Has Guardiola rode into one battle too many with his ageing, aching steeds? Five of Manchester City’s starters during their latest defeat – a 2-0 loss to an average Juventus side in the Champions League – were aged 30 or over after all with the likes of Kevin de Bruyne no longer the same force of old.
And while Man City were once the masters of overcoming the departures of star players – bouncing back from the exits of Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Yaya Toure, Vincent Kompany and co – the recent transfer market activity has seen more misses than hits.
The decision to bring a 34-year-old Ilkay Gundogan back feels increasingly short-sighted. A move maybe made out of nostalgia, taken with the heart rather than the head. Savinho is talented but he is not Riyad Mahrez.
Jack Grealish, the £100 million record signing, has gone a year and 44 games without finding the net. Matheus Nunes, Jeremy Doku and especially Kalvin Phillips have struggled to justify transfer fees which, combined, reach £150 million.
Premier League icon Paolo di Canio, meanwhile, feels there is another, rather pronounced weakness afflicting Pep Guardiola’s malfunctioning machine.
Manchester City slammed for selling Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid
“The serious thing in my opinion is the wrong evaluation of Julian Alvarez,” West Ham legend Di Canio told Sky Italia after second-half goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie consigned Man City to a seventh defeat in ten games.
“[Alvarez was] someone who helped everyone with his movements, his assists and his goals. It’s fine to sell him for 90 million euros, but he had to be replaced.
“Instead, Guardiola had the presumption to take someone from within. He didn’t think about [signing someone new] and this was a mistake.”
Guardiola claimed back in November that he had no regrets after Julian Alvarez secured a £81 million move to Atletico Madrid. He puts City’s struggles in attack down, not to the Argentine’s absence, but a spate of injuries.
Yet, even a fully fit Man City roster has just the one obvious centre-forward option. Behind Erling Haaland – the Norwegian barely had a touch against Juventus – there is a remarkable lack of alternatives.
And while that mega-money switch to Spain earned the Premier League champions a massive profit on their initial £17 million investment, the fact remains that Guardiola lost the services of a forward who provided 19 goals and 13 assists last term while playing a staggering 52 games.
Paolo Di Canio questions Kevin de Bruyne and Kyle Walker after Juventus loss
“[Man City have declined] in an incredible way in the space of a few weeks,” adds Di Canio. “I think it’s a mix of things; injuries, but also personal selfishness and the end of some paths like [those of Kyle] Walker and [Kevin] De Bruyne.
“Then, there are those who would like to change, like Bernardo Silva who has been asking to be sold for two years.
“Juventus still has to find its identity but, against this City, I always thought they could do it. Before, against City you hoped. Now, they give you a chance to win. Before, you just had to pray. Now, you are almost certain of having a chance to beat them.”
