At this point it’s Manchester City’s warriors who are letting them down the most | OneFootball

First of all, it must be said that Manchester City’s warriors have secured their legacy at the club. City’s recent era of dominance is a testament to the brilliance of players such as Ilkay Gundogan, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and a host more. That isn’t in dispute and it never will be.

But this article isn’t a look back on their past deeds. It’s an analysis of what is going wrong on the pitch for Pep Guardiola’s side. With one win in their past twelve games, plenty is going wrong. The performances of Manchester City’s warriors just haven’t been up to their usual or the required standard. That is the reality of what we are seeing from Pep Guardiola’s side.

READ MORE: City player ratings from Manchester City’s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa.

You could see it yesterday during City’s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa that a host of Manchester City’s senior players just can’t get around the pitch like they used to. John Stones can’t last more than 45 minutes without getting injured. Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic were swamped by Aston Villa’s pace and power in midfield. Bernardo Silva barely offered a threat going forward on City’s right wing. Kyle Walker came on at halftime to replace the injured John Stones but that forced a tactical shift from Pep Guardiola. That in itself is a damning statement. Guardiola’s quote on that situation can be seen below.

But that’s the problem. Pep Guardiola needs his senior players to lift to help get his team out of their poor run. But watching yesterday you had the realisation that they can’t lift Pep Guardiola’s side against younger and more athletic opponents. They just don’t have it in them anymore. That was clear to see as Aston Villa and Morgan Rogers in particular tore through City’s midfield and defence in such a manner that shows that Manchester City’s warriors can’t keep up anymore. It’s sad to see but that is the reality of the situation we are seeing unfold.

It’s Manchester City’s senior players who are letting the team down when they are needed the most. That are the facts of what we are witnessing. There are of course questions that need to be asked of the tactics employed by Pep Guardiola so he isn’t entirely blameless at the moment. But watching City’s senior players struggle once again yesterday you just realised that a host of them aren’t what they once were. There’s no shame in that, time eventually catches every player. That is what we are witnessing now with this Manchester City squad. It’s almost undeniable now.