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WHAT HAPPENED?
Manchester City are currently on a dismal run of form and have lost their last five games in a row in all competitions. It’s a dramatic slump by the reigning Premier League champions and the first time in 18 years they have lost five on the bounce. City’s poor form has coincided with the loss of Rodri to a serious knee injury. The Ballon d’Or winner is not expected to play again this season after suffering an ACL injury back in September.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
City have struggled to cope without Rodri and have also seen key plyers such as Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish miss plenty of game time due to injury. Ilkay Gundogan has returned to the club after a season with Barcelona but is yet to consistenly impress on his return to the Etihad Stadium. Aguero feels that City need to dip into the transfer market and thinks Guardiola will be looking at potential options ahead of the January window.
WHAT AGUERO SAID
He told Stake.com: “Rodri’s injury had a deep impact, especially when you consider he might be off for the whole season. I could imagine Pep looking to sign a midfielder… but I’d expect it to be someone Pep is certain to be a top-quality player. It’s true, several teams had a significant amount of injuries, particularly City. When it happens to such key players too, it’s very impactful, like Rodri being off the field. Kevin has bounced back but he still needs to fully get back into rhythm. There has been several defenders who have been affected too. Pointing out the root cause is tricky, it’s not just Premier League teams that are seeing an uptick. I do believe it’s a warning sign, in the end there’s no football without the players and we must look out for them. If it truly is the number of fixtures – which can seem excessive – it’ll be up to the organisers to act accordingly.”
WHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY
Brazilian midfielder Ederson, Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi and Samuele Ricci of Torino have all been mentioned as potential candidates for City ahead of the January transfer window. In the meantime, Guardiola’s side will be aiming to snap a five-game losing streak against Feyenoord on Tuesday in the Champions League. City then head to Anfield for a monster Premier League clash with Liverpool.
