In the midst of a treacherous slump, we take a look at what’s going wrong on the blue side of Manchester — and why it might be a while before they right the ship.
Two wins in their last 14 games across all competitions have left the champions in a perilous position both domestically and continentally. At the start of the new year, Manchester City sit sixth, 14 points off Liverpool at the top of the Premier League, virtually unprecedented territory for this era of the four-time defending champions.
It’s not much better in Champions League play either, as City are hanging by a thread with only two wins in six games. A squad in decline, a manager at his breaking point, and possible impending doom off the pitch; what exactly has led to this precipitous fall-off from what’s otherwise been the most dominant club in recent memory?
At face value, the biggest issue has been that of personnel. Squad-wide underperformance has been as clear as day, with the reigning PL Player of the Year Phil Foden probably the biggest culprit. The catalyst though may very well be fatigue, both mental and physical.
It was always going to happen eventually; Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have been competing and flourishing at the top of the European game for almost a decade, and it has undoubtedly taken a toll on both manager and players.
Guardiola has always preferred to have smaller squads, a stance he’s made clear throughout his coaching career, and while he has been blessed with eye-watering resources to make seemingly whatever purchase he wants in transfer windows, he and City haven’t actually done that well assembling this current squad.
Their defense has a wealth of options when fully fit, but it’s really the only department where this is the case. The midfield has looked like a shell of itself despite the re-signing of İlkay Gündoğan, and the age at this position is starting to show. The attack is spearheaded by Erling Haaland, but when he isn’t firing, the lack of a recognized second option (like Julian Alvarez) has left Guardiola oftentimes without an avenue to change a game.
Their squad size issue has exacerbated the massive injury crisis that has plagued City this season especially.
In their attack, Oscar Bobb was set for a potential breakout year in Manchester. The 21-year-old Norweigan international had shown genuine world-beater potential in flashes last season, and we can surmise that his ascension was a big part of the reason Guardiola and City felt comfortable letting a massive attacking option like Alvarez go.
Even looking towards last season, the sale of Cole Palmer was presumably influenced massively by Bobb and how much those at the club rated him. The two play similar attacking roles, and keeping both would have stifled their development. His freak leg break last August meant City’s attacking options would be even more limited (their only summer signing in the attack being Savinho) and their reliance on superstars like Haaland, Foden, and Kevin De Bruyne, would only grow.
To make matters worse on the other end of the pitch, 2024-25 has been the most we’ve seen a Guardiola side shuffle its defense. The champions are currently faced with a long-term injury to Rúben Dias, while Manuel Akanji and Nathan Aké have only recently made their recoveries from stints on the sidelines. John Stones has already missed double-digit games for City this season due to injury and has been out of the squad for their last two games.
De Bruyne has faced his second major hamstring injury in as many seasons this year after missing over 30 games for club and country in 2023-24. The Belgian is now 33 and both his performances and numbers have seen a steady decline over the last two seasons coinciding with these injuries.
De Bruyne being the player facing these struggles is massively unlucky for City. He has long been their spearhead, leader, and catalyst of seemingly everything good that happens for them. Even in games where he hasn’t had a direct impact, his sheer gravity has allowed others to step into the spotlight. Without him, City often look devoid of that final bit of cutting edge. But even with him this season, there is a noticeable lack of thrust.
There’s no escaping the glaring absence though. The reigning Ballon d’Or winner Rodri suffered an ACL tear in September, and at the time City were yet to lose a game in all competitions. Since then it’s been clear to see just how much they miss him, and just how integral he was to keep the heart of this team beating.
Pep Guardiola has reacted to the cuts and scratches on his face following Man City's draw with Feyenoord 🤕 pic.twitter.com/gMN8ZvXFup
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 26, 2024
It’s not just the players who seem to be breaking down though, Guardiola looks exhausted. He has always been at the forefront of tactical innovation and his teams have never looked devoid of ideas on the pitch. However, his revolutionary mind has yet to find a way out of this current rut without his full-strength team. His body language on the sidelines and his quotes in press conferences give off the air of a man who might be at his wits’ end.
Looking to the future is worrying for City. Guardiola recently committed another two years to the Citizens, extending his longest-ever managerial job even further, but what exactly is in store for the blue side of Manchester once the Spaniard makes his inevitable exit?
Their transfer business in recent years has left them in a position where the squad doesn’t provide much hope for fans when it comes to future aspirations. Manchester City have benefited from one of the most successful academies in the modern era for churning out talent, yet, outside of Foden and Bobb, so much of that talent has left to shine elsewhere. City have sold off a plethora of their academy graduates, most notably Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Brahim Dìaz, and Romeo Lavia; all of which are playing star roles for their current clubs.
In times of turmoil and potential transfer inactivity, clubs with flourishing academies can often turn to these and find gems that help them bridge gaps, stay afloat, or reach new levels. Hindsight is 20/20 but letting go of this much premier youth talent, while extremely profitable, can’t bode well for long-term sustainability.
And we haven’t even yet mentioned the peril that could be facing Manchester City off the pitch.
🛑 Premier League statement confirms “Manchester City have been charged with numerous breaches of financial rules ”.@martynziegler now reports that “Man City will not be able to appeal any sanction to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the one which overturned the UEFA ban. pic.twitter.com/fsRtpQKSI8
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 6, 2023
Persons with much more knowledge on the entire case have gone in-depth on what exactly could become of the massive investigation into City, but until a verdict is handed down, it all remains speculation. While managers and players will always look to isolate themselves and focus on the old cliché of “the next game,” they almost certainly have been affected to some extent by the microscopic coverage of the club’s shady off-the-field issues.
However severe the punishment, the City team requires a massive rebuild and it will probably have to undergo these changes without arguably the greatest manager of all time. An aging squad, a fatigued manager, a hierarchy whose decisions have left them in a harrowing position; in the past City have retooled and gone again, but something tells me it won’t be that straightforward this time around.
Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag in his first interview dropped the quote “An era can come to an end” when speaking about Guardiola’s City and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. Despite his embarrassing departure at Old Trafford, he might have been spot-on from the start.
