Why has Manchester City, despite their aggressive transfers, become the king of choking? Guardiola’s arrogance + Haaland as a false striker

In this Premier League round, the Manchester Derby ended with Manchester City losing 0-2 to Manchester United. This was Guardiola’s worst defeat in a Manchester Derby since taking charge of City. Although the scoreline was only 0-2, if not for Donnarumma’s multiple remarkable saves and several offsides and shots hitting the post by Manchester United, it would have been a complete disaster for City. In this match, City managed just one shot on target.

Guardiola holds an extraordinary status at Manchester City; whatever players he demands, the club buys. The new signings are all high-quality immediate assets. The Egyptian forward Malmoush, signed for €75 million, is still mostly on the bench. Then City spent €72 million on Ghanaian striker Semaño. When injuries hit the defense, City also secured England defender and Crystal Palace captain Guehi for Guardiola. So the question arises, after losing 0-2 to Manchester United and going four Premier League games without a win,why has Manchester City, with their frantic transfer activity, become the team that falters in the Premier League title race??

From my personal view, the reason Manchester City, despite all the buying, has stumbled in four consecutive Premier League rounds comes down to two main factors.The first is Guardiola’s arrogance! Guardiola loves experimenting, which can be a compliment, as he designs and tries new tactics. But the 0-2 defeat in the Manchester Derby against United reflects Guardiola’s arrogance and inflexibility. City mainly plays a 4-1-4-1 formation this season, but with injuries to key center-backs Dias and Gvardiol, City had to start two youngsters, 20-year-old Ake and 21-year-old Husainov, in the derby. Despite this weakened defense, Guardiola arrogantly stuck to a single defensive midfielder. Since Rodri’s serious injury, he has been unable to handle that role alone, making multiple errors during the match and nearly gifting the opponent a goal. Even more baffling was Guardiola’s decision not to play the industrious Reynders, instead placing B. Silva and Foden ahead of Rodri, both of whom lack defensive skills. Guardiola’s arrogance and refusal to adapt were the root causes of City’s heavy derby defeat.

Last season, City ended up empty-handed in all competitions, and this season they have repeatedly faltered in the Premier League title race. In fact, Guardiola has been hitting a bottleneck since last season, and it may be time for a managerial change. No successful coach can rest on past achievements. If City, who fulfill all of Guardiola’s transfer wishes, continue to perform poorly, the responsibility lies with the manager himself.

The second is Haaland as a false striker! In the Manchester Derby, Haaland started and played 80 minutes before being substituted, showing little impact and basically disappearing from the game. He had two shots but none on target and lost possession four times. Guardiola’s issue with having a tall striker who doesn’t cross enough is a coaching problem, but Haaland himself is also at fault. His aerial ability is weak, causing City’s crosses to be frequently countered by the opponent. Moreover, Haaland lacks the ability to play with his back to goal and to orchestrate attacks, unlike Kane, who can drop deep to receive and combine with wingers to create cohesive offense. Haaland’s current style is that of a poacher, overly reliant on teammates feeding him chances. The derby was just a microcosm of his recent form: in his last seven matches across all competitions, he’s scored only one penalty and has mostly been invisible on the pitch. Even in City’s 10-1 thrashing of a lower-league team, Haaland started but failed to score.

Haaland is only suited for counter-attacking football and lacks the ability to break down tough defenses. He tends to shine in easy matches but disappears in crucial battles. Valued at €200 million, his abilities are seriously overrated, making him a false number nine. Continuing to start Haaland despite his poor form, and selling Alvarez to make room for him, are both Guardiola’s mistakes.

After the Manchester Derby, well-known Premier League commentator Zhan Jun shared his thoughts on the match:It’s been a long time since I saw Manchester United dominate Manchester City like this. Guardiola had no tactical plan to protect his defense.

Summary: With unlimited financial backing supporting Guardiola’s transfers, Manchester City still keeps faltering. Guardiola must take responsibility. Perhaps the biggest problem at City right now is Guardiola himself. The Blues need a new manager...