Man Metropolis: Rodri damage not Pep Guardiola’s solely downside as Ilkay Gundogan struggles and Phil Foden begins slowly

De Bruyne’s fading health ranges

Kevin de Bruyne needed to wait till the 74th minute to be launched in opposition to Tottenham, by which level the end result had turn into a foregone conclusion. Through the run of 5 consecutive defeats which has thrown Manchester Metropolis’s season into disarray, he has solely been capable of play a complete of 38 minutes.

His lack of health, as he struggles to completely recuperate from a hamstring damage suffered in September, is a serious headache for Pep Guardiola. Metropolis have been capable of cope with out him for a lot of final season nevertheless it’s a special story with Rodri additionally absent from their midfield.

De Bruyne has not began a sport since Metropolis’s Champions League opener in opposition to Inter two months in the past. At 33, with greater than 700 video games beneath his belt for membership and nation, the workload is catching up with him within the type of repeated hamstring issues.

Guardiola will hope to have him accessible to start out video games quickly. However, as along with his cameo in opposition to Spurs, the concern is that it’d come too late. The final two seasons present his physique can now not be relied on.
Nick Wright

Gundogan is not on top of things

It seemed like the cut price signing of the summer season. Ilkay Gundogan on a free switch. The five-time Premier League champion and treble-winning captain Guardiola did not wish to see go away the membership in 2023.

What do they are saying about by no means going again? In spite of everything the nice and cozy sentiment and good feeling of Gundogan’s return from Barcelona, the cruel actuality is that – to this point – the midfielder has seemed a shadow of the participant he was first time spherical in Manchester.

Overwhelmed in midfield by energetic Tottenham on Saturday, Gundogan was chasing shadows, most notably for the opening purpose when he misplaced James Maddison. “Gundogan couldn’t get around the pitch today,” stated Sky Sports activities’ Jamie Redknapp in evaluation. “He couldn’t get near anybody and his focus wasn’t right.

“Gundogan has to comply with that run [from Maddison] and that is actually poor from him. He simply could not match Spurs’ power in midfield all sport.”

The touch and technique remain – Gundogan saw more of the ball than any other player and his passing accuracy percentage is well into the 90s. But can he still match the intensity demands of the Premier League?
Peter Smith

What’s happened to Grealish?

Jack Grealish is another who has been hampered by injury issues. His substitute appearance at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday was his first of any kind since the 2-1 win over Wolves in October.

He has of course played a part in a succession of trophy wins since his £100m arrival from Aston Villa but, on an individual level, his output has been modest, to put it kindly, with only 11 goals and 12 assists in 82 Premier League games across the last four seasons.

It’s a decrease mixed complete than he managed in his remaining season and a half at Villa – and that interval included a three-month damage lay-off.

Amazingly, he hasn’t discovered the online for Manchester Metropolis, in any competitors, since a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace final December.

Grealish has needed to recalibrate his sport beneath Guardiola. He’s much less of a maverick, extra of a system participant. It has come at the price of targets and assists and that is an issue at a time when so many others, Erling Haaland included, are struggling to provide.
Nick Wright

Walker’s defending beneath scrutiny

If you launch a podcast known as: ‘You may By no means Beat Kyle Walker’ it’s a fairly clear indication that one-on-one defending is taken into account a power. However on the age of 34, Walker’s potential to deal with these conditions is lastly coming beneath some scrutiny.

The sight of Timo Werner pulling away from him for the fourth Tottenham purpose could have owed just a little to the circumstances of the match nevertheless it was additionally alarming. The England defender has relied on that tempo to get him and his crew out of bother for years now.

His prime pace this season is 33.61 kilometres per hour – not gradual but in addition exterior the highest 100 gamers within the Premier League. There may be some noise in that knowledge as a result of it depends upon whether or not you have to run however it’s nonetheless a fear provided that it hints at a decline.

The statistics present Walker is being dribbled previous by an opponent extra recurrently to this point this season than at any level in his Premier League profession over the previous decade. With Metropolis struggling to manage these counter-attacks, they want Walker at his greatest. He isn’t.
Adam Bate

Foden’s gradual begin is dragging on…

Within the opening minutes it seemed like lastly the spark was again. Phil Foden drew a yellow-card foul inside a minute after which pulled the strings within the build-up to Metropolis’s early probabilities. However Foden hasn’t been on fireplace for a while now and shortly the embers light out as Spurs scorched to an enormous win.

Final season’s participant of the 12 months has been nameless at the beginning of this new season. After career-high figures for targets and assists final 12 months, Foden has managed only one help in 9 Premier League appearances this time period.

After being laid low by sickness early within the marketing campaign, Foden’s gametime has continued to be disrupted, with him pulling out of the November England squad earlier than beginning on Saturday.

Health, type, momentum – none of it appears to be on Foden’s facet proper now, when Metropolis want their major males to step up. When will we see the true, game-changing Foden emerge once more?
Peter Smith

Haaland’s wasteful ending

Haaland squandered various probabilities in Manchester Metropolis’s defeat to Tottenham, failing to seek out the online along with his seven pictures. Haaland shouldn’t be chargeable for Guardiola’s defensive disaster however his type in entrance of purpose has dipped at a foul time.

Three targets in eight Premier League video games is perhaps passable for some strikers however for Haaland it’s a stoop – not least as a result of the possibilities have continued to return. His anticipated targets complete in that eight-game interval is 7.04. He’s 4 targets quick.

No participant within the Premier League has underperformed by a larger margin than Haaland in that point. It value them in opposition to Brighton and was the rationale why they failed to seek out the online for the primary time within the Premier League this season of their defeat to Spurs.

Haaland can’t take the blame for the 4 that went in on the different finish and can certainly begin scoring closely once more quickly so long as the availability is there. However his below-par ending has been a think about Metropolis’s poor run of type. Even he can’t escape criticism.
Adam Bate

Getting older squad wants refresh

Lots of the points going through Guardiola come again to the identical subject: an growing old squad. In opposition to Tottenham, 9 out of 14 gamers utilized by Manchester Metropolis have been 29 or older.

As famous on Saturday Night time Soccer, Manchester Metropolis have given the next proportion of minutes – 52.1 per cent – to gamers aged 29 or over than another Premier League facet this season.

It is just pure that sure people is perhaps beginning to drop off.

Metropolis solely have a handful of gamers in what are generally thought of ‘peak’ years, between 24 and 29, and arguably a very powerful of these, Rodri, is in fact sidelined for the season.

Guardiola insists he’s prepared for the problem that lies forward having prolonged his contract. The rebuild will must be in depth. However for now he wants to resolve issues on the fly.
Nick Wright