Pep Guardiola admitted on Friday that his Manchester City team are not as comfortable in possession as they used to be and that they lack the physicality to compete with their Premier League rivals.
City have dominated English football for most of the past decade with a possession-based style that suffocates opponents, but they have slipped from their high standards this season.
The English league champions in six of the past seven years are now realistically out of the title race, although they sit in fifth place, just two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.
City also face a tough challenge to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League after conceding two late goals in a 3-2 defeat against Real Madrid in the knockout phase play-offs on Tuesday.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s difficult match against Newcastle, Guardiola said City’s problems were multi-faceted.
“It’s everything, it’s not just one thing,” he said. “If it were just one issue, it would be easy to solve.
“We used to be very comfortable with the ball, but now we are not. When that happens, we need to rely on our physicality, but we don’t have the same physical strength as some other teams.”
He added: “The league has moved forward, with all the teams improving, while we have taken a step back compared with previous seasons.”
Guardiola also confirmed that Switzerland defender Manuel Akanji would be out for up to 10 weeks after suffering a muscle injury against Real Madrid.
“He will undergo surgery on Saturday and will be out for eight to 10 weeks,” said the City boss, praising Akanji’s “unbelievable efforts” during the club’s defensive crisis this season. “In the end, the body said ‘enough is enough’,” he added.
Midfielder Jack Grealish, who had to go off in the first half against Real, is also a doubt for the Newcastle game.
“It’s not as serious as Manu’s injury, but I don’t know if he will be available tomorrow,” said Guardiola. “I don’t think so, but we’ll see and assess in the next few hours.”
New midfield signing Nico González could also be in contention to face Newcastle after suffering a knock against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup last weekend.
AFP
