Guardiola acknowledges Manchester City struggles with style of play
- Manchester City is currently in fifth place in the Premier League, struggling to maintain their possession-based style.
- Pep Guardiola highlighted issues with the team's physicality and emotional fatigue as contributing factors to their poor performance.
- Despite their current struggles, Guardiola acknowledges the team's past dominance and records, emphasizing the more competitive landscape in the league.
In the Premier League, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City has not performed at its usual high standards this season, displaying discomfort in maintaining ball possession like they have in previous years. Guardiola recognized that the team's physicality is lacking compared to their rivals, signaling a significant shift after years of dominance in English football. City, champions six out of the last seven seasons, found themselves in fifth place with a real chance of missing out on the title, trailing behind Chelsea, with only two points separating them. The Champions League has also proven to be a challenge for City, as they lost a crucial match to Real Madrid with a late-game collapse, conceding two goals in a 3-2 defeat during the knockout stage play-offs. Guardiola remarked upon the multi-faceted nature of the team's issues, highlighting that if the problems were isolated, they could easily be addressed. However, the combination of factors has left the squad struggling, both emotionally and physically, with injuries compounding the situation. In a recent press conference, Guardiola provided updates on injuries within the squad, particularly focusing on Switzerland defender Manuel Akanji who will undergo surgery and is expected to be sidelined for eight to ten weeks. Additionally, Jack Grealish's availability was uncertain after he exited a match against Real Madrid early due to injury concerns. Despite the challenges, Guardiola indicated the possibility of new midfielder Nico Gonzalez being in contention for an upcoming match against Newcastle. Amidst all of this, Guardiola took a moment to reflect on the club's achievements over recent years, acknowledging that even if Liverpool were to win the title this season, they would not be able to attain the record points total that City achieved during their title-winning campaign in 2017-18. Guardiola's acknowledgment of the significant improvements among rival teams and admitted that City may not find success this season as easily as they have in the past.