Manchester City, as new age Premier League fans have come to know them, are in unfamiliar territory right now, languishing in the 13th place 8 games into the season.
The smooth attacking machine of Pep Guardiola seems to have hit a snag with his side scoring just 10 times in the Premier League till now, just 1 more than Heung-Min Son’s tally of 9, to provide context.
There have been a number of issues highlighted in the past week by many critics of Pep and the blue half of Manchester. But we will take a look at just one of the issues crippling the team, an issue which many loyal supporters of the club could see from a mile away before the start of the season.
The spine of the super successful team Pep inherited and depended on for his successful foray in England is still functional to an extent but the team management is clearly struggling to decide on the best course of action based on the dynamics of the players and their past and present impact.
Yaya Toure’s departure was neutralized in a brilliant manner and the team was improved by fielding the trio of Kevin de Bruyne, Fernandinho and David Silva in central midfield. The Brazilian’s dynamic and all-round qualities helped balance the attacking prowess of Silva and Kevin perfectly. In addition, the presence of Vincent Kompany at the back ensured that the team was never lacking in focus or desire even in games where they were not at their best.
Many City fans were surprised when the team management decided against splashing big on a replacement after Kompany’s departure. The repercussions were severely felt in the coming season with City losing the title to Liverpool while battling crippling central defensive issues throughout the course of the campaign.
That area of the pitch was finally tended to by the club in the summer, with Manchester City splashing the cash for Ruben Dias, who has started his career in England on a strong personal note. But many felt the lull post the twin Premier League successes allowed Liverpool to gain a firm foothold at the top of the table and we can see the gap more pronounced now.
And with 8 games gone this season, we can see things point towards something similar and lay bare a potentially costly mistake by the team management and Pep once again. City again felt it was not a priority to try and address the exit of David Silva, a colossal figure at the club integral to their massive success in the Sheikh Mansour era. In 436 games for the club, the Spaniard scored 77 goals while assisting a further 141 times.
But it is not just his assists and goals tally or his partnership with Sergio Aguero which will be hard to replicate. The Spaniard’s ability to find space between the lines and draw the play towards him always freed up space for the likes of De Bruyne, Sterling and the rest of the attackers. Silva managed to pull the strings effortlessly, always having the extra second on the ball more than his Premier League peers.
His influence in the middle of the pitch helped the likes of Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane and the full-backs to stay out wide thus widening the pitch and worrying the opposition defence no end. At the moment, too many players are cutting infield to make things happen and are simply failing to have a major say on proceedings. De Bruyne seems to be trying to do all things at once and is managing very little in all departments.
Bernardo Silva has all the ability in the world but has been out of form for over a year now and with every passing game looks out of his depth in the central midfield role. Phil Foden is unlikely to be used in a similar role as Silva with the young Englishman’s ideal position still unclear.
The absence of Silva is being felt and his tremendous impact at Real Sociedad, who are leading the La Liga table has exacerbated the feeling of the fans who are currently scratching their heads at City’s repeat mistake after the ‘Vincent Kompany Exit Strategy Debacle’.
‘Once bitten, twice shy- no more?’
