Manchester City fell to yet another defeat yesterday, losing 4-0 at home to Tottenham Hotspur.
Despite feelings of positivity heading into the game, after news of Pep Guardiola’s contract extension, players returning from injury and Rodri being present at the Etihad Stadium, the woes continued for Manchester City.
After a bright start, Spurs took the lead through James Maddison, who then scored a second inside 20 minutes.
Spurs scored two more goals in the second-half, first through Pedro Porro and then in injury-time through Brennan Johnson.
It was another pitiful performance from City, who defended poorly and were wasteful in front of goal.
On Match of the Day last night, Alan Shearer gave his thoughts about City, identifying one major problem and making an admission ahead of the huge game with Liverpool.
Alan Shearer says there are ‘too many worrying signs’ about Man City
The current run that City are on is very alarming.
Many felt this would be a game City would bounce back in, given the contract news about Guardiola.
But the same issues of recent weeks were still on show, with City just being too easy to play against.
Speaking on Match of the Day, Premier League legend Alan Shearer said: “It’s a massive game. For the first time, I would have real concerns about Manchester City.
“Over the past couple of weeks, I’d say ‘alright fine no problem, they’ve been in a similar situation, they’ve lost games they’ll still bounce back’.
“But I’m seeing too many worrying signs that you think, if Liverpool win tomorrow and beat Man City next week, I think they’ll find it really really tough (to win the league).”
Shearer analysed the game, and essentially said City are just too easy to play against, with players not tracking runs.
Man City fans criticised Ilkay Gundogan for his display against Tottenham, and Shearer also took aim at the German for not tracking Maddison’s run for the first goal.
Man City must not lose to Liverpool
If City are to win a fifth straight league title, which is now looking unlikely, then dropping points against Liverpool cannot happen.
City need to try and win the game to close the gap, but Anfield is probably the toughest place for any side in the division to go, so getting a point would be decent, especially considering the form of the two teams.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 6 | 15 | 28 |
| 2 |  Man CityManchester City | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 17 | 5 | 23 |
| 3 |  ChelseaChelsea | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 22 |
| 4 |  ArsenalArsenal | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 12 | 9 | 22 |
| 5 |  BrightonBrighton | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 16 | 5 | 22 |
| 6 |  TottenhamTottenham | 12 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 27 | 13 | 14 | 19 |
It’s a real rut City find themselves in and it’s clear that Guardiola has not found the right cocktail of midfielders in the absence of Rodri.
The balance hasn’t been right, and the January transfer window can’t come quickly enough.
City just have to try and ensure that Liverpool don’t pull too far ahead by the time that window rolls around.
