Pep Guardiola’s regime at Manchester City hasn’t really gone in a manner that was expected by the football fraternity or the Spaniard either. With Chelsea running away with the Premier League title after a shambolic season prior to this one, the lead of 11 points over the Citizens appears to be to too much to be nullified going into the business end of the season, although Manchester City does have a game in hand.
The defence has been a major cause of concern throughout this campaign and let’s not forget that the defensive line which the former Bayern Munich gaffer inherited wasn’t too great at the outset. Ageing, underperforming and occasional patches of sheer helplessness has cost the mega club heavily, for they have conceded as many as 29 goals in 25 outings, which certainly isn’t the data a perennially winning side should possess.
There’s an old saying that in the game of football, ruthless attacking setups might win you games but it is the defensive solidity that would go a yard further and help you win the titles.
The summer transfer window is likely to be a platform for the Sky Blues to generate a wide scale exodus of their defensive players and the incoming of young and arguably, well-manned blood in their ranks. It is intriguing to highlight that all four of Manchester City’s current first-team full-backs are at least 31-year-old, and the Etihad Stadium is echoing to its hands over marauding youngsters to take the club forward.
Aleksander Kolarov, Gael Clichy, Pablo Zabaleta and Bacary Sagna might have been outstanding servants of the game but they are apparently past their prime and reportedly, Guardiola has set his sights on luring Tottenham Hotspur’s Danny Rose in the summer transfer window.
However, the equation to go all out for the signature isn’t an easy one, for it depends upon what their fellow Manchester rivals, Manchester United’s deal with Luke Shaw. The former Southampton left-back has failed to establish himself in front of Jose Mourinho and has fallen behind Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo and Matteo Darmian for the left-back slot and is desperately vouching for an outlet to play regularly elsewhere. Tottenham Hotspur is apparently his way out of this nightmare.
Should Manchester City break the bank with a humungous offer to acquire the services of Rose, Spurs might consider selling him and bring Shaw as the replacement. The ball might not be in City’s court at the moment but with truckloads of cash involved, you never know.
Manchester City are in dire need to get someone like the 26-year-old Englishman to re-modify their backline and represent themselves as serious contenders, not only for the Premier League title but to register a thumping impression in the Champions League as well.
