HAVING just watched Manchester City lose their fourth game in-a-row, Pep Guardiola came closer to conceding the Premier League title race. “Maybe after seven years winning six Premier Leagues, maybe one year another team deserves it”, said the City boss after a damaging 2-1 defeat to Brighton.

The gap between City and Liverpool at the top of the table now stands at five points after 10 fixtures. The way Arne Slot’s team are playing right now, it will be difficult for anyone to catch them, especially a Manchester City side that is being brutally exposed by every opponent they face at the moment.

On Sunday, it was Brighton who exploited the space in behind the fragile Manchester City backline. Four days before that, Sporting CP were the ones who embarrassed the English champions, scoring four in an emphatic 4-1 victory. Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur have also recently made City look very ordinary.

Guardiola is at the lowest ebb of his Manchester City career to date. This, however, could be when he is at his most dangerous. If anyone can turn around the fortunes of the defending Premier League champions, it’s the manager who has set the standard at the top of European football for the last decade-and-a-half.

Injuries have undeniably played a big role in City’s recent slump. The loss of Rodri in particular has robbed Guardiola of his lynchpin in the centre of the pitch. Without the Ballon d’Or holding everything together, Manchester City are easier to play through. They don’t have anyone else who can do what Rodri does.

Against Brighton, Ruben Dias and John Stones were notable in their absence, meaning Guardiola had to patch together a defence that included 19-year-old Jahmai Simpson-Pusey and required Josko Gvardiol and Rico Lewis to play out of position. It was no wonder the Seagulls were able to cut through them with ease.

However, City’s defensive issues aren’t entirely related to their injury list. Their weakness in defensive transition can be traced back to last season when the Etihad Stadium outfit conceded more fast break goals than in any other campaign under Guardiola. Opponents are having joy against Manchester City on the break.

Kyle Walker is no longer the player he once was. At his best, the England international’s recovery speed was the safety net City needed to make their high defensive line work, but his best days are now behind him. Guardiola might need to find a replacement sooner rather than later with the January transfer window not far away.

Kevin de Bruyne is another whose role at the Etihad Stadium might have to be re-assessed. When fit, the Belgian remains one of the best midfield playmakers, but he has barely been able to string together a run of games these last two seasons due to injury. City simply need someone more reliable in such an important position.

Any rejuvenation of City’s squad will be risky considering the club has yet to hire Txiki Begiristain’s successor as sporting director. Together with Guardiola, Begiristain has helped build the strongest team in English football, but it might take some time for his successor, whoever that is, to get their feet under the desk.

Guardiola insists he will “solve” Manchester City’s problems, and who would bet against him? City have started seasons slowly before and rounded into form in the second half of the campaign. They did this two seasons ago and won the Treble. This time, the problems run deeper, but City couldn’t hope to have a better person figuring them out.

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