Football is a cyclical sport and with that being the case, Manchester City no longer look like the juggernauts they once were.
While Pep Guardiola’s side could win major silverware this season, the early signs do not look all that promising as they have won one and lost two out of their first three Premier League games this campaign.
It could be argued that their title rivals in Liverpool and Arsenal have looked like flawed sides themselves but unlike the two teams, Manchester City are languishing in 13th place in the league table.
City’s new signings such as Tijjani Reijnders have also struggled to impress, with the Zwolle-born man’s form tailing off since he shone against Wolves as he failed to stand out against Tottenham and Brighton.
After being named as the Etihad Player of the Month, Manchester City fans admitted they were baffled Reijnders won the award.
Man City fans disagree with Tijjani Reijnders winning Etihad Player of the Month award
One Manchester City fan reacted to Reijnders taking home the award by simply writing: “For one game [against Wolves]? It’s crazy.”
A second City supporter believes Erling Haaland, who was nominated for the award alongside John Stones was the deserved winner: “Haaland deserved it. Love Tijjani but after the Wolves game…”
A third fan echoed the same sentiments about Reijnders, who joined Manchester City for £48 million this summer: “Let’s be real. One amazing game. Two stinkers.”
A fourth Sky Blues supporter suggested the club call off the award when City have a torrid month like they did in August: “Months like these we should just cancel the award.”
Another fan believes the 27-year-old winning the award shows how far the standards have fallen at the Etihad Stadium: “Shows how poor the level of City has been in the first three matches this season. Reijnders delivered a distinctive level only in the first match against Wolverhampton but was poor in the matches against Tottenham and Brighton. The Dutchman needs more time to adapt to the team’s style.”
A sixth fan surprisingly named Reijnders as Manchester City’s most underwhelming player in the month of August, writing: “Literally our worst player this month…”
Pep Guardiola admires Reijnders and he will perhaps have no doubt that the midfielder will eventually come good.
How Tijjani Reijnders performed for the Netherlands during the international break
The former AC Milan talisman had a tough time for the Netherlands during the international break as well.
The Dutch media criticised Reijnders’ display against Lithuania despite his side’s 3-2 win, a game several Manchester City fans would have tuned into with the hope that he would perform well.
Furthermore, Reijnders was quiet against Poland as well.
