Is this really all about Rodri? Reasons behind Manchester City’s slump

Lack of pace

With Kyle Walker’s knee injury meaning he was unable to apply his afterburners and torch any Sporting attack that broke Manchester City’s high line on Tuesday, Pep Guardiola’s team lacked the speed in their rearguard to counter how most opposition hope to prosper against them. Even with Walker in the side this classic way to break down the Premier League champions can be successful and with the captain an unused replacement at the Estádio José Alvalade, alongside Nathan Aké – and John Stones and Rúben Dias not fit enough to travel – a lack of defensive nous is also costing them. Jahmai Simpson-Pusey was given a full debut, the day after he turned 19.

Guardiola not using alternatives

The master plotter, tactician and problem-solver never lacks ideas regarding how City can win, so might he have switched up his approach during the loss to Sporting? Sure, they cruised in the opening 45 minutes and went 1-0 ahead, and even when level at the break you could see the wisdom in keeping on the same way. But 20 seconds into the second half, when Maximiliano Araújo put the home side ahead, and then three minutes later when Josko Gvardiol conceded a penalty scored by Viktor Gyökeres, there was a case for a recalibration. This might have involved Bernardo Silva pushing forward to partner Erling Haaland or taking off the latter and playing the Portuguese or Phil Foden as a false 9. One more option, though, is not available. We will come to that next.

Should Julián Alvarez, the World Cup winner and genuine alternative at No 9 to Haaland, have been sold in the summer to Atlético Madrid? And if so, how about buying a replacement with some of the €95m (£81.5m) reaped from the sale? Guardiola was asked the latter last Friday. His response: “No, [because] you don’t expect to have eight, nine players at the same time [injured].” This is a fair point given that Rodri and Oscar Bobb are on the long-term absentee list, Kevin De Bruyne has only recently returned, Jack Grealish remains out and Jérémy Doku, Savinho and Manuel Akanji were doubts when he spoke. Yet having a replacement for Haaland is not only a precaution in case he goes down. It is also to hold a genuine alternative for the forward line and because Álvarez could play as an impressive No 10 too. Guardiola lost two vital options when the Argentinian left.

City’s teak-tough mentality may be wavering

This is a group of uber-confident players who on falling behind often find the inspiration to come back and win. Yet a sequence of three losses on the bounce – first at Tottenham in the Carabao Cup, then at Bournemouth in the league before the Lisbon trip – is bound to dent morale and so Guardiola’s challenge is to remind them precisely how good they are at responding. Silva referenced this after the Sporting trouncing, before City seek to bounce back at Brighton in Saturday’s late Premier League fixture. “One more game [now] before the international break, which will definitely be good for us because at the moment, with the injuries that we have, and with the psychological part as well, it will be good to have that rest,” he said. “But before that we have a big game again, a very tough game. Brighton away is never easy. Three points would help massively to keep us in the race or in a good position to come back and be still close to the top. We’ll look at ourselves and try to do better on Saturday.” Referencing the “psychological part” is telling and follows the playmaker admitting that City are in a “dark place”.

The Rodri question

So how great a miss is the smooth-footed midfield linchpin who orchestrates this mighty City side? Claiming the Ballon d’Or is one measure of the Spaniard’s value, as is City’s current slump. In Lisbon Mateo Kovacic was the manager’s nominated Rodri stand-in but as Sporting staged their revival he lacked the poise and control Rodri applies. The gaps Rúben Amorim’s unit punched in City’s backline occurred partly because the 28-year-old was not padding about exchanging three- and four-yard passes and exerting his grip on the contest.

Guardiola struck the right note

The manager’s message was in essence that defeat at Bournemouth was deserved and the side had performed well against Spurs and Sporting. Amorim described his team’s victory as “lucky”, and you knew what he meant. Haaland missed four or five chances including a penalty, Silva too might have scored and 70%-plus possession before the break was converted into the hard currency of clear chances. Guardiola is relishing taking on Brighton and City may well end their dismal run. However, if they lose again, we may be in for a different City this season.