Manchester City are now on a run of four straight defeats across all competitions, and fans are slightly concerned.
Manchester City started the season really well results-wise. But since the last international break, the team has taken a real nosedive.
The warning signs were actually there before the last international break. City beat Fulham 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium, but would have lost comfortably had Adama Traore been more clinical that day.
City just appear to be really lacking confidence at the moment, and opponents have certainly wised up to the way the team plays.
Injuries have also proven pretty costly.
Ruben Dias and John Stones have been missing for the last few games, and neither Manuel Akanji not Nathan Ake have been at 100%.
The situation has recently paved the way for Jahmai Simpson-Pusey to come into the fold, but Jamie Redknapp has questioned the decision to field the youngster against Brighton.
Jamie Redknapp suggests Jahmai Simpson-Pusey shouldn’t have started v Brighton
Simpson-Pusey was handed his debut by Guardiola against Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup, with the defender coming on for the final 20 minutes or so in place of Nathan Ake.
Guardiola then sprung a real surprise, giving Simpson-Pusey his full debut against Sporting CP in the Champions League.
The starlet did well in parts and showed good composure on the ball, but it was a difficult task for him going up against Viktor Gyokeres, who is the hottest striker in Europe right now.
Simpson-Pusey started again against Brighton, featuring alongside Josko Gvardiol with Rico Lewis inverting into midfield from left-back. For pundit Jamie Redknapp, this just didn’t really work.
He said on Sky Sports after the Seagulls’ 2-1 win: “I have got to be honest. When I saw it (the back-four) at the start of the game, I was scratching my head, thinking that you are playing a young kid (Simpson-Pusey), I totally get it; he is going to be a good player.
“But maybe play alongside Akanji or someone that is used to playing that has played a lot more at centre-back this season. Gvardiol and Simpson-Pusey just didn’t work at centre-half, certainly in that second half.”
Ake and Akanji couldn’t play
Ultimately, Guardiola didn’t really have any choice other than to start Simpson-Pusey again.
Akanji and Ake may have both been on the bench for the visitors. But seemingly that was literally just to fill spots. There was no one else who could have slotted in alongside Gvardiol.
Guardiola admitted after Saturday’s defeat: “No. Otherwise, we would have played them. Having 10 days to recover, I would have played them. But they were not ready. They are not ready. Manu said ‘Yesterday I felt so bad in the training session, I couldn’t move properly’.”
Guardiola also moved to praise Simpson-Pusey for his display against Brighton.
| Jahmai Simpson-Pusey v Brighton |
| Minutes played – 90 |
| Touches – 115 |
| Passes/completed – 98/106 (92%) |
| Clearances – 2 |
| Blocks – 1 |
| Tackles – 1 |
| Duels/won – 6/3 |
| Possession lost – 9x |
“Against teams, I prefer fresh people. The guy played really well. The young lad again, with his composure and duels,” he added.
It remains to be seen if Simpson-Pusey will have any more chances to build on his three first-team appearances after the next international break.
Certainly, he has shown promise and will not have done his prospects any harm.
