Twelve points adrift of Antonio Conte’s Chelsea as we enter the ‘business end’ of the season, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side are hoping for a minor miracle in their bid to dethrone Chelsea from the league’s summit before the season’s close.
Whilst the side have shined brightly in moments during the campaign, there’s clearly plenty of changes likely to be made, not to mention plenty of axes to be welded, when Pep truly gets hold of his squad next season.
Here’s a list of 5 things the Catalonian will need to get right going forward.
1- Buy a centre back: City have struggled throughout the season shipping goals left, right and centre. Guardiola has tried playing a back three along with using different players in those positions but nothing has worked. Not surprisingly then, that Man City have conceded a whopping 28 goals against them- (most among the top 7 teams in the league).
Whilst the acquisition of John Stones is solely the responsibility of Guardiola, The eye watering money spent on filling the position in the past remains a worry.
2- Replace his current goalkeeper: Pep bought Claudio Bravo as soon as he took over- replacing fan favourite Joe Hart in the process. Many questioned his decision back then and continue to do so. He must now be wondering whether it was indeed a correct decision.
Latest reports do suggest that Guardiola is thinking to replace his current goal keeper at the end of the season with a new number one. Till then he should consider giving his back-up keeper Caballero a run in the team.
To Note: Claudio Bravo has conceded a remarkable 16 goals form the last 24 shots he has faced. These stats don’t read good for even the most optimistic City fan.
3- Adapt tactically: No doubt Guardiola’s tactical influence in the modern game will always be applauded by his peers, saying that, the Premier League’s ramshackle style has left the former Barcelona manager puzzled on numerous occasions.
Knowing Pep’s refusual to plump for a plan B, the Man City’s boss will have to reinvent his dominating ball retention tactics to something that can account for loose balls. And boy is there a lot of loose balls in the Premier League.
Without a doubt this season is one of the most competitive and Guardiola wouldn’t want to lose out on at least a top 4 place. Champions League qualification is vital for City, and Guardiola knows that. We could perhaps see City ‘mxing it up’ a little, at least until the celebrated coach can bring in the perfect players in the summer for his perfect system.
4- Make Etihad a fortress again: There is nothing more important than winning your home games in the Premier League. City must start to dominate teams and win at home more regularly. This will not only bring back confidence among the players but also the fans and will be a good base to build from. Moreover, City fans must support their team and manager more than ever before and make the atmosphere for teams coming to the Etihad intimidating.
5- Make Aguero fire again: There must be no doubt that Aguero is City’s main man. His Premier League record with City speaks for itself. However, lately Aguero has seemed a frustrated figure which has been reflected in his performances over the last few weeks. His red card in the loss over Chelsea was completely down to frustration. Moreover, contract talks and transfer speculation seems to have distracted the Argentinian of late.