The Sports Buff ⚽️ ⚾️ 🏈

In the past decade, they have easily been the best team in England. Former Premier League winners Manchester City are currently in something of a decline. Arguably, that’s a bit of a harsh statement.

On the other hand, The Cityzens, although competing for trophies on four fronts, appear to be missing something. What appears to be missing isn’t clear, well, not to the naked eye.

Erling Haaland is having a prolific season, and Jeremy Doku has been in good form too. Goals have not been a problem since Pep was appointed as manager; it’s never been an issue, well, not really.

Yes, the Spaniard has made many signings to address in his mind the issues of attacking problems. I say it like this because this is Pep Guardiola, the man who makes a mountain out of a molehill.

In simpler/football times, the Champions League final against Chelsea in 2021 and the quarter-final against Lyon during Covid are examples of what I am trying to say.

To the average fan, it seemed to us all that City needed to do was repeat what they had been doing all along in those campaigns. Every fan saw one thing, and Pep saw something else. Sometimes, that can make Pep Guardiola, other times, an eccentric.

Through all the changes, the tinkering and what Pep does, an issue has emerged: the goalkeeper. This season, Gigi Donnarumma has been the man between the sticks for Man City, the Italian man-mountain and England’s penalty shoot-out nemesis.

In theory, it was supposed to be that City sell Ederson and fully sees the benefits of replacing the Brazilian with the former PSG stopper. This hasn’t happened in the slightest. The Blues seem open.

Tonight’s Champions League 3-0 battering at the hands of Real is another example or how open City have been this term. Donnarumma, despite his apparent troubles, isn’t a central midfielder as well. Man City have had numerous problems in the middle of the park, leading to many formation changes.

It’s a simple solution, just put John Stones in the centre of midfield, job done. If rumours are to be believed, Pep Guardiola won’t be in charge next season, so the issues in the team currently are someone else’s problem.

Most football fans (the purists) blame him for ‘ruining football. I don’t know if the Spaniard on the back of that criticism has resorted to having an old-fashioned goalkeeper like Gigi Donnarumma. Still, upon close inspection, for Man City, it doesn’t seem to be working.

Pep, bring back the days of your goalkeeper having as silky a touch as Johan Cruyff. Maybe with Gigi in goal, they have inadvertently gone deeper in their own pitch, due to yin not coming off his line as much .

With Ederson in goal, they forced teams back due to him pushing City higher up the pitch.

Whatever you do, you will be criticised for it, always.