Starting with John Stones in midfield seemed very odd.
I still wouldn’t be surprised if City go on one of their long unbeaten runs after Christmas. They have the quality players to do it, and don’t have many injured other than De Bruyne, who is due back this month.
I do think, however, Pep openly coming out and saying he thinks City will win the title again this season may haunt him.
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Without Rodri, while Kovacic is not 100% fit and not in great form, Phillips not being used enough… I could understand it.
Clearly a failed experiment, at some point Stones was moved further back. I didn’t quite notice when exactly Guardiola made that adjustment because it did not do much to change the flow.
While the experiment started a couple of seasons ago with Walker in the role, and has seen them use Lewis in that role during most of his appearances, this season the inverted defender making up the second of the midfield 2 has typically been Stones or Akanji. Yesterday showed the difference of playing a defender alongside a legit midfielder who is comfortable going to get the ball in tight spaces vs thinking you can make up an effective ball dominating midfield with 2 CBs. It looked like they were both looking to the other one to be Rodri.
The other issue was the combined absence of Doku and Grealish meant Silva was forced to fill in for them and it meant that playing that far forward he was often too far away to help build play through the areas where Villa were pressing very well. Had City kept Palmer and used him in that attacking role yesterday and allowed Silva to sit a bit deeper and help build play the game may well have looked a lot different.
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That wasn’t much of an experiment, but going with what made most sense in a situation of need. Of course, as an isolated subject, we can talk whether they really needed the likes of Phillips and Nunes. I don’t think the game was lost necessarily because of one factor.
Even Gvardiol and Kovacic (two signings that on paper made the most sense, Doku being a pleasant surprise and the best so far) haven’t been great so far this season.
Walker before used to either remain in defence to form a 3 at the back structure, Pep says he can’t do the into midfield move like some other players (before it was Zinchenko and Cancelo, now it’s Stones, Lewis, sometimes Akanji to mixed success).
Yeah, over the years they’ve used lots of different defenders in the role of moving into midfield when they have the ball. It’s not a new development for them. But the difference is of the 5 or 6 players they’ve used in that role, in my memory its never been alongside another defender, at least not in a big game. It was notable yesterday how much trouble Villa’s press gave them and for as much credit as Villa deserve you have to think it would have been different if they could have had Silva or Gundogan back in there
I’ve always been impressed with his Good Ebening’s. 
True, yeah.
I never ever thought his girlfriend - Miss Jones - was much cop though :0)
In previous seasons they had kdb. When he was injured often, they also had gundogan who played incredibly well and scored more than everyone would think. Him gone as well as Mahrez and they are seriously lacking this season.
We’ll see if they buy someone in Jan and with 115 charges above their heads, it may be the final chances to improve the team before the shit hits the fan
Hard to keep homegrown profit on the team when you have to duck and dive more charges and somehow pay Erling £800kpw.
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Thought Guardiola usually went for something stronger? Anyway, I fully expect this to be swept under the carpet by the media.
Simon Stone tying himself in knots to try and underplay City’s recent form.
Tell me Simon, would all managers get the same level of passionate defence from the BBC, or is it just the Manchester based clubs?
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What a non article.
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Haaland not in their squad today?
Minor injury according to well-placed journalists. Career-threatening one if you ask Guardiola.
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I always think the difference between Pep and other top free spending managers are that he actually can harnass the superstar egos and make them play together and win something. Many other managers have tried and failed with superstar egos. However, the interview where he mentioned that he cannot see Kalvin Philips in his team is just another example of how reckless and numb and dumb Pep and his club have always been to actually playing fair and treating people right. You spend 45mil one year ago on a player whom you cannot see in your team? Maybe a great manager but a shit of a person
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He said he was thinking who to pick against Villa and for that particular game, he had another vision that didn’t include Phillips. Said he felt sorry for him because he’s behaving well, despite not being picked.
¥ou ¢ant imagin€ how h€ ¢op€$ with th€ di$appointment, poor £amb.