Reigning Premier League champions Manchester City have been one of the strongest teams in Europe for quite a while now. Still, it must be conceded that Pep Guardiola took their utter dominance in the league to the next level last season. Although they started this campaign in the same kind of form, it’s safe to say that things haven’t gone entirely to plan at the Etihad Stadium. Injuries all over the park have been a massive concern, and that’s something that Pep Guardiola would be hoping to change next time.
The Citizens’ first few league fixtures this season were as comfortable as ever, and nobody expected such a resurgence from Liverpool in the coming weeks. Despite City showing decent form as well as momentum, the Reds seemed to be running away with the top spot. Defeats at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Liverpool and even Norwich City, meant that Man City were unlikely to ever challenge for the title this season.
What Have Been The Problem Areas For City This Season?
One of the biggest concerns for Pep Guardiola is obviously at centre-half, as the injury to Aymeric Laporte did have dire effects on the morale of the team. Despite having more recognised defenders at their disposal, Pep chose to push Fernandinho into a centre-half role, thereby highlighting their issues at the back.
The off-field antics of Kyle Walker have been grabbing a lot of attention recently, while the injury-prone Leroy Sane has been absent too. Adding a new winger or attacking-midfielder into the mix would also probably be a sensible move by the Citizens.
Here are three players that Manchester City must offload this summer:
Claudio Bravo
The former Barcelona shot-stopper as featured in four league outings this season and ended up conceding seven goals during that time. With a couple of young options available to Guardiola, it would make sense for the Citizens to offload the 36-year-old who’s nearing the end of his professional career.
John Stones
The Englishman arrived from Everton with massive expectations weighing him down. Despite a decent enough start to life at the Etihad Stadium, it must be conceded that Stones has found consistency tough to come by. Often praised as a composed carrier of the ball at the back, Stones has been far from comfortable in any of the fixtures he’s played for Manchester City this season, and the sheer amount of time he’s spent on the bench showcases just that.
Nicolas Otamendi
Although the veteran defender did a much better job than Stones at the back, there’s no denying that there’s a monstrous amount of room for improvement. Otamendi tends to be a live ticking time bomb waiting to go off at the worst of times. He offers good presence while dealing with crosses into the box, but the fact that he’s now 32 should be enough motivation for Guardiola to sanction his sale.
