Manchester City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has suggested that Pep Guardiola must address "severe issues" with the Citizens midfield as he continues to "find a new identity" in the central area of his team.
Without injured lynchpin Rodri for the rest of the season and unable to call upon influential playmaker Kevin De Bruyne as he continues his recovery from a groin problem, Man City managed to come from behind and beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 at Molineux in the Premier League on Sunday.
Even though Man City are yet to lose in 12 games across all competitions in 2024-25 and are the only Premier League team who remain unbeaten after eight matches this term, sitting just one point behind Liverpool at the summit, McInerney feels that there are a number of issues that Guardiola will be keen to tackle in the coming weeks.
Reflecting on Man City's win and performance against Wolves, McInerney told Sports Mole: "There are many ways to break it down and a lot of things will be true at the same time that things contradict each other. Ultimately City just about deserved the win on the balance of play. They had more chances, more shots, XG was higher and City were just about good value for the win.
"The other way of looking at it is that Wolves were on a historically bad run of form before this game, they were really struggling. I know teams near the bottom often raise their game against teams bigger than them doing well, but Wolves were there for the taking. A confident City side, a fit City side probably wins that game pretty comfortably, but Wolves still made City sweat. Even though City just about deserved it on the balance of play, they got lucky scoring in the last minute.
"There was further evidence that City are just not good going towards their own goal. On the transition, on the counter-attack, we are so open. Manchester City are so open you can get past City's press too easily these days. Teams are very capable of creating really good, high quality chances with very little effort against Manchester City and it feels to me there's a real lack of physicality about it.
Man City find a way to win despite 'severe issues' in midfield
"The positives from a City perspective is that they got the win, and when you compare the corresponding fixtures [between this season and] last season, City actually have a net positive three points up compared to last season in these same fixtures.
"We're currently the only unbeaten team in the league, one point behind Liverpool, looking pretty good. City were without their first-choice midfield on the pitch; Rodri is obviously out for the season, De Bruyne is struggling with injuries, [Phil] Foden is struggling with form I think right now, I don't know what it is, something going on with Foden, though, which I'm sure will be revealed in time.
"Either way you'd probably argue all those three start in City's best 11 in midfield and they haven't been there, so Guardiola is sort of trying to find a new identity for that midfield while addressing the lack of physicality, due to the ageing midfield, and lack of pace on the turn and while being a little bit open on the transition, [which was evident] even last season with Rodri there. There are severe issues there, but we still found a way to win."
McInerney added: "It feels like every year as a City fan around October, November, December we're having these conversations where City look pretty poor. We're still winning games around the top of the table, but the performances are unconvincing. Even in the treble-winning season, which obviously history will be very kind to and rightfully so, it felt like it was going to be a redundant season until around January, February. Guardiola just found the formula and it changed.
"Will that happen again? I don't know, but what I do know is looking back at this run of form we're in right now, it always happens even when we haven't got injuries. City just find themselves in this sort of mire around the winter months and we struggle through until we find our identity.
"To me, it looks a bit like that's going on, but it's also, of course, a lack of Rodri, a lack of De Bruyne and so on, there's a lot of things playing into it. The most important thing is that John Stones exists and City have won!"
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Man City yet to find right balance in midfield without Rodri, De Bruyne
After the win at Wolves, Guardiola insisted that patience is key and "the solution is the way we played today" against teams who make themselves difficult to break down. The Catalan also stated that his players should not go "crazy" in attack, as opposing teams "would punish you" on the transition.
Man City have, however, looked vulnerable at times when defending counter-attacks while adopting their current approach, and McInerney has said that he would be "amazed" if Guardiola is "truly happy" with his team's showing against Wolves.
McInerney believes that Guardiola currently has two ways to approach games and is still trying to figure out his favourite set-up, while he is also hoping that the Citizens boss will resolve his team's pressing problems and addresses the lack of physicality and pace in both defence and midfield.
"I think he's being honest (with his post-match assessment). I think he's happy with the general way that we're playing," said McInerney. "It doesn't mean everything we did (against Wolves) was perfect. I think he means the ideas are good enough, if not the execution, and I do think that's the case here.
"I think, ultimately, it didn't feel great because it's Wolves and it was tetchy, it was last minute, but City were still territorially dominant, they had all the ball, 78% possession. They did create chances [and some] chances were missed. [The chances created were] not as good as you'd hope for, you'd want more clear-cut chances and a lot of the City's pressure, or a lot of the danger towards Wolves' goal came territorially as opposed to testing [Jose] Sa, though Sa did of course make a couple of really good saves.
"Even though Guardiola's come out and said that about being happy, I think he broadly is, but I do think he'll be working on things to try and improve the execution, because it is still a little bit rusty, we haven't quite found the balance in midfield.
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Pressing problems, midfield meekness on Guardiola's mind
"Guardiola has currently got two ways to approach a game: He's got the conservative midfield of Bernardo [Silva], [Mateo] Kovacic and [Ilkay] Gundogan, with the tricky wingers out wide, [Jeremy] Doku and Savinho running at people, and of course [Erling] Haaland through the middle - so you've got stability in theory, though it's not really working, and then tricky out wide.
"Or you can play the other way where you can put [Jack] Grealish and Bernardo out wide - which is conservative out wide-ish, even though they're not defenders, they're still going to attack those two, but they are a lot less risky than Savinho and Doku - and then have a more aggressive midfield with people like Foden, maybe Gundogan, maybe [Matheus] Nunes. It does feel like Guardiola has got a couple of different approaches right now and he's trying to figure out the best."
McInerney added: "I'd be amazed if Guardiola is truly happy with what he saw, because as good as Wolves can be on their day, that is a team that was there for the taking and it feels like the problems that we create are often of our own making.
"Defensively, City don't feel like a good team at pressing anymore. Teams get past City's press very easily and their goal conceded came from Wolves very easily passing around City's press which was unorganised, unstructured and then it gave [Nelson] Semedo so much time on the right. He didn't have to sprint, he just ambled up the pitch and it's a beautiful cross for what it's worth, inch perfect to the back post, but it was just too easy and that happens time and time again against City.
"City used to be so aggressive and made it hard for teams to progress the ball further forward, but it's easy now, teams do it all the time and I think that comes down to a variety of reasons.
"I don't think Doku is a natural presser, he works hard but he's not a natural presser. Haaland has never been that great a pressing, but he needs other people around him to get him going - he does try. Savinho works hard as well, but then the likes of Gundogan, Kovacic and Bernardo Silva, they just don't have the legs to do that. They're not physical players who are going to bully the opposition."
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Man City physically stronger in midfield with Rodri, De Bruyne, Foden
McInerney has suggested that the presence of Rodri, De Bruyne and Foden in midfield would solve City's physicality issues in the middle of the pitch, adding: "When you look at City at their very best, you have people like Rodri, 6ft 3in and strong, he knows exactly where to be at all times.
"Even De Bruyne is a lot more physical than people give him credit for. He's a decent size, pushing six foot, strong, good turn of pace, powerful broad shoulders. Even Phil Foden is much more energetic, lively and aggressive than say Gundogan in the press, so there's a real drop-off there.
"I think as well defensively the pace going back towards our own goal can look a little bit sluggish. I would say [Josko] Gvardiol has got good pace, but he's not got quick acceleration whereas [Manuel] Akanji does, [Nathan] Ake does.
"I think City are missing a lot of that physicality right now in the team. As much as Guardiola said that [he's happy], and I think he's honest, I also think he knows there are a lot of areas to improve."
Amidst a busy fixture schedule in multiple competitions, Man City have little time to rest and prepare for Wednesday's Champions League clash at home against Sparta Prague, before facing Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday and Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup on October 30.
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