Manchester City is currently struggling. On the back of a purple patch, Pep Guardiola and Co. enjoyed back-to-back victories. However, things have started to change, as they’ve already dropped to fourth place after losing 1-0 against Aston Villa. Currently, the ‘Lions’ stand in the third position in the Premier League and possess all the ability to challenge for the title. But what caused the downfall of the city? A former soccer star believes that Pep Guardiola‘s unorthodox tactics might be the real reason.

Time after time, Pep Guardiola has proven that he is not someone who hesitates to experiment. In the last match, they didn’t have their best midfielders, Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri. It seems that the Spaniard’s solution to overcome this obstacle backfired.

Pep Guardiola claimed to be asking for ‘too much’

According to retired Scottish soccer veteran Steve Nicol, Pep Guardiola committed a blunder by pushing defenders Manuel Akanji and John Stones to play as midfielders in their last match. While analyzing the game on ESPN, Nicol said, “If you’re expecting Akanji and Stones to start in a top Premier League game and produce what people like Rodri and De Bruyne do then I think we’re asking for too much and I think it’s just caught up with them. You can’t get away with it time after time after time”.

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According to the former Liverpool star, this mindset from the Spaniard only puts extra pressure on the players, which consequently doesn’t end up well for Manchester City. Previously, Pep Guardiola has had success when he’s used a similar strategy of letting defenders play as midfielders. However, this time things didn’t go as planned and the ball was with Villa for most of the match.

During the match, Erling Haaland tried his best to score a goal two times in the 11th minute. However, Emiliano Martinez‘s brilliance prevented the Norwegian’s shot. During the entire match, these were the only attempts from Manchester City’s side. After the performance, the fanbase and pundits were quite critical of Guardiola and Co. Here’s what one of them had to say.

Arsenal star claims that Manchester City looks ‘vulnerable’

For the Cityzens, the last match was heartbreaking, as world-class players struggled to deliver the bare minimum. They were dying to bounce back from the high-pressure 3-3 draw against Tottenham Hotspur. Recently, former Arsenal defender Martin Keown even claimed that Guardiola’s team looked ‘vulnerable’.

READ MORE: Gary Neville Finally Responds to Pep Guardiola’s Dig and Insults Jamie Carragher

He claimed that clubs have now found a way to penetrate through the City XI on the pitch. There is no doubt that Rodri’s absence, Ilkay Gundogan‘s departure, and Kevin De Bruyne’s inactivity due to injury are giving Pep Guardiola’s men a hard time. Is a Manchester City comeback inevitable? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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