Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola will be spending the next couple of weeks trying to work out what’s going wrong with his team.
Manchester City crashed to a fourth straight defeat at the weekend, losing 2-1 to Brighton this time at the Amex Stadium.
City took the lead in the first-half through Erling Haaland. But then gave up all control in the second-half, with Brighton able to turn the game on its head.
Had it not been for Ederson, this could have been another really chastening defeat like against Sporting CP in the Champions League.
Fans think are City are really missing Rodri in midfield now. But the Ballon d’Or winner will be out for the foreseeable future and Pep Guardiola must find a way of covering his absence.
We have seen Mateo Kovacic there mostly so far, with Rico Lewis inverting from full-back. But Micah Richards has now questioned the pair.
Richards questions Mateo Kovacic and Rico Lewis’ defensive qualities for Man City
Currently, City are getting sliced open far too easily.
They are especially vulnerable to counterattacks at the moment, due to the way City squeeze up the pitch so high.
If City turn the ball over while probing, there is then an opportunity for the opposition to transition and cause real problems.
Arguably, Guardiola has not yet found his winning formula in the absence of Rodri. Rodri himself thinks that City should sign Martin Zubimendi, but we will see if the club are willing to fork out £60 million for his release clause.
For now though, Kovacic and Lewis appear to be Guardiola’s choices, but Richards has suggested they haven’t been good enough out of possession.
He said on the Rest Is Football podcast: “What I don’t understand is how easy it is to play against them.
“Man City are known for their pressing, and pressing as a team, but it’s just nonexistent. I can’t quite grasp what’s going on.
“Obviously Rodri is the one who controls the midfield and stops the attacks. But with Kovacic and Rico Lewis going in there, they’re sort of… on the ball they’re good, but off the ball they’re just out of position and it’s looking a bit bleak.”
- READ MORE: Who is Rodri? Get to know Man City’s modest midfield maestro who won a Champions League final
City must sign Rodri cover in January
City have conceded far too many goals so far this season, and Guardiola has surely got to see about bringing in an out-and-out defensive midfielder who can provide control.
Rodri does it so well, and it will not be easy to find such a player.
But Zubimendi could be a really decent addition, as he is a player who sits in front of the backline and dictates the tempo of games.
| 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 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 23 |
| 3 |  ChelseaChelsea | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 19 |
| 4 |  ArsenalArsenal | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 19 |
| 5 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 19 |
| 6 |  BrightonBrighton | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 19 | 15 | 4 | 19 |
He is perhaps not as steely as his compatriot Rodri, but he is a specialist for the position, unlike Kovacic and Lewis.
£30 million signing Kovacic made a great start to the new season. And he can play in those deeper positions in midfield. But one gets the sense that he needs someone in there with him, and not someone inverting from full-back.
Lewis also started the season brilliantly. But the City youngster’s form has dipped in recent weeks and is perhaps in need of rotation, although Guardiola just hasn’t had the chance to do that unfortunately given the injuries.
