Manchester City must begin to click into gear after the international break | OneFootball

Manchester City have made a slow start to the 25/26 season. Frustrating defeats to Tottenham and Brighton followed an early win over Wolves at Molineux on the opening weekend of the 25/26 season. Back-to-back defeats for Pep Guardiola’s side highlighted that City’s new-look squad needs time to come together. But they may not have a lot of time to gel. Manchester City face three tough fixtures after the international break. Pep Guardiola’s side must quickly click into gear to overcome the challenges that lie ahead.

Manchester City face three tough fixtures after the international break.

Following the international break, Pep Guardiola’s side takes on Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium. The Manchester derby could be the ideal platform for City to launch themselves into the new season. The flip side of that coin is that a defeat to Ruben Amorim’s side could see the blowtorch firmly applied to this Manchester City side.

Following the Manchester derby, City take on Napoli to begin their Champions League campaign and then face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Antonio Conte’s side is a quality outfit and enters this season’s Champions League as Serie A champions. They’ll provide a stern test for Pep Guardiola’s side. Arsenal battered City 5-1 at the Emirates last season. The fact that City face Mikel Arteta’s side only three days after taking on Napoli makes that game that much more difficult.

Pep Guardiola’s side simply must click into gear to get themselves going.

Looking at the three matches ahead for Manchester City, they’ll have to click into gear for all three matches. There have been flashes of brilliance from Pep Guardiola’s side to begin the new season. But there have also been obvious areas to improve in their play. It is hoped that after the international break, the City squad returns ready for the gauntlet that lies ahead. After losing back-to-back games to Tottenham and Brighton, the margin for error for Pep Guardiola’s side is relatively small. The season is still only early, but they will not want to stutter against Manchester United and Arsenal in the Premier League. The fixture against Napoli is the ideal opportunity for Manchester City to begin their UEFA Champions League campaign on the right foot.

Pep Guardiola’s side must click into gear after the current international break. They have three tough fixtures ahead once domestic football returns next weekend. There is an opportunity for Manchester City to launch into the new season if they can pick up positive results against Manchester United, Napoli, and Arsenal. To do that, they’ll have to begin to return to their best. If they don’t, they may face a mountain to climb if they can’t get going against three tricky opponents.