Incredibly, Manchester City are facing some serious squad depth issues this season.
Football can be a brutal sport, and not even Manchester City are exempt. The Qatari-funded giants, who looked untouchable a year ago are suddenly looking vulnerable at the back.
ACL injuries to two key players – Leroy Sané and Ayemeric Laporte – have thrown a spanner in the works for Pep Guardiola.
The unfamiliar central defensive pairing of John Stones and Nicolás Otamendi was exposed as City lost 3- 2 to Norwhich.
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It’s obviously too early to rule Manchester City out of the title race. However, with Liverpool looking so relentless, it is certainly a blow.
Liverpool are 5 points ahead of second-place City. 5 points is the biggest gap between first and second after 5 games in Premier League history.
It throws into question the City project, particularly their recruitment, which is normally excellent.
It’s clear they would have liked to sign a center back over the summer. However, Pep Guardiola made some bemusing comments about how they couldn’t afford one.
As a result, Harry Maguire joined Manchester United, and Matthijs de Ligt joined Juventus. Surprisingly, Toby Alderweireld didn’t get any summer attention and once again remained at Spurs.
There’s no doubt that City will be looking enviously at Liverpool, who have Virgil van Djik. However, one center back likely wouldn’t solve all of City’s problems.
They have issues at fullback, with Kyle Walker being exposed with greater regularity. After rotating Fabian Delph with the rehabbing Benjamin Mendy for a year, Oleksandr Zinchenko is their first choice left wingback.
A promising player no doubt, but not the kind of player who starts every game in a well-built Premier League-winning squad.
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If the league is out of the question, then City should focus on the Champions League, which is their number one priority. They are 16/5 favorites to become European champions, ahead of Liverpool and Barcelona at 11/2.
