The weaknesses in this Manchester City squad were ruthlessly exposed by PSG | OneFootball

This topic has been covered endlessly this season. But once again the weaknesses in this current Manchester City squad were ruthlessly exposed by PSG last night. It has been a common occurrence this season, and although there have been signs of life from Pep Guardiola’s side lately, the same issues that have plagued City returned last night.

Watching Joao Neves, Vitinha, and Fabian Ruiz dominate the midfield battle last night, you could see the hole in Manchester City’s make-up. City’s midfield just can’t play the way Pep Guardiola demands. Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva were swamped in the midfield. Kevin De Bruyne tried but his legs aren’t what they used to be. Phil Foden was also guilty of trying too hard at times. City’s midfield has gotten old, and that leads to another major problem for Pep Guardiola’s side.

This Manchester City squad can’t control games like they used to. At their best City would pass teams into submission. Typically, when they got 2-nil up, Pep Guardiola’s side would dominate possession and close a game down. But last night they couldn’t do that. At the moment, with this current City squad, they simply aren’t capable of doing it. Pep Guardiola spoke of this issue after his team’s defeat. He said: “They had one more player there in the middle, and always we expect with the build-up to have possession, but they were more aggressive in the pressing. We could not make the process that we should. The connection with Bernardo and Kova was not possible or was not good. After we could not make the process and in terms of transitions, we could not cope with them. They are faster. We have to defend with the ball and it’s impossible to defend if you don’t play.”

These aren’t new issues but they just stood out against higher quality of opponent.

None of the issues we saw Manchester City’s midfield suffer last night are new. They’ve been on show for the majority of this season. But last night, in a crucial Champions League fixture, those issues cost Pep Guardiola’s side dearly. The issues listed above don’t even cover City’s defensive frailties or the fact that Manchester City can’t press their opponents for any length of time.

PSG deserves credit for taking full advantage of Manchester City’s weaknesses. They were full value for their win. But City’s weaknesses cost them again and how they are rectified at this point of the season outside of new signings remains to be seen. There is also prospect that needs to bea  considered that these frailties can’t be rectified with this current squad of players. That isn’t an overreaction it’s just an assessment of the evidence that is at hand at this current time.