What’s brewing at Manchester City?

Four defeats on the bounce for City has seen questions asked about their ability and commitment, perhaps for the first time under Guardiola’s tenure. During those games, they have scored just four goals and conceded ten. The manner of the most recent defeats – to Sporting and Brighton – has left fans wondering where it has all gone wrong.

First, Pep Guardiola’s contract is up at the end of the year, and he might be seeking a new challenge. On reflection, he has stayed longer than anyone expected, having been at Barcelona for four years and Bayern Munich just three. At the end of this season, he will have overseen events at City for nine years, dwarfing his previous stints. He has previously expressed an interest in the Spanish national team job, but that post looks unlikely to be available after Luis de la Fuente’s success at the European championships. I’m sure he will have a figure in mind – but it would be better for the players if it were sorted sooner rather than later.

The next factor is injuries. Rodri’s importance to the champions’ side has been thoroughly discussed and there are numerous statistics to support that notion. It might be becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy at this point. The irony is that his replacement, Mateo Kovacic, has probably been City’s best player throughout the barren period. Kevin de Bruyne’s return at the AmEx on Saturday did not go as planned – he gave the ball away numerous times and looked miles off the pace. Was he rushed back too soon to save City’s season? Other injuries don’t help of course – John Stones, Jack Grealish, and promising youngster Oscar Bobb have all spent time on the sidelines. But that’s part of the game and City should have the depth to cope with it.

And what of Erling Haaland, goal machine? His goal drought has seen him net just twelve times in eleven appearances. Panic stations. In all seriousness, he has suffered a relatively frustrating time in front of goal in recent matches, but unlike some of his teammates he looked up for the fight at least on Saturday evening. It’s too early to start questioning the Norwegian’s class or commitment. He is inevitable.

Perhaps it could be that all of those things in combination have caused the disarray that we are seeing on the pitch?

But what if it was deeper than all of those things? What if the players have caught wind that their fabled 115 charges are unlikely to go unpunished. Could they be unsettled by the uncertainty or demotivated by inevitable relegation? I can’t think what else would explain such an instant and significant change in fortunes.

Time will tell. We await the verdict.

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By Leon Parrott