Manchester City have been on an unusual run of form over the past month.
Specifically, City have lost five and drawn one of their six previous matches across all competitions.
Across those games, the Blues have conceded 17 goals and scored just seven.
Having lost their three previous Premier League games, the champions’ next outing sees them take on Liverpool at Anfield.
In the build-up to City’s big game against Liverpool, a pundit and former City player has made a suggestion as to why things haven’t been going well for Pep Guardiola’s side in recent weeks.
- READ MORE: Who is Micah Richards? Step into former Man City right-back and larger-than-life pundit’s world
Micah Richards pinpoints big Man City issue
In a recent edition of The Rest Is Football, Micah Richards gave this theory about one particular issue City have at the moment.
He said: “I would just like to say, though, I think the importance of a [Riyad] Mahrez of the past, the importance of a [Julian] Alvarez of the past and the minutes that he played.
“[Jeremy] Doku and Savinho are very good players. So when you watch them on the eye, they’re brilliant, they’re young, energetic, they can take someone on.
“But if you look at the end product of these young players, it’s almost like previously with Manchester City, they would have players out and someone would step up, someone would score, someone would replace them and not be the main man of the team.
“But it’s almost like when you have to change, the players who have come into the team are not making the same effect as they have previously. And that goes throughout the team. I’m not just talking about strikers or midfielders and defenders. It’s everyone and it’s all happening at the same time.
“So it is a collective. But we’re now seeing some of the importance of the players who have left because they wanted to play week in, week out like on average.”
Jamie Carragher claimed Liverpool have a better squad than City
Richards isn’t the only pundit to make a comment on the Manchester club’s current crop of players, as Jamie Carragher claimed Liverpool’s squad is stronger than City’s, saying this on the subject.
He said: “I would always say Man City have the best team and the best 18 I’d say. Liverpool have probably got the best 22.”
“They [Liverpool] actually have five forwards who probably all think they should play. They have got decent backup in positions, so in terms of not bringing someone in hasn’t really hurt because they’re not getting the injuries they were last season.”
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 8 | 16 | 31 |
| 2 |  BrightonBrighton | 13 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 22 | 17 | 5 | 23 |
| 3 |  Man CityManchester City | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 17 | 5 | 23 |
| 4 |  ChelseaChelsea | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 22 |
Having made it to mid-October without being beaten in all competitions, this shows that there generally isn’t a problem with City’s squad, other than the numerous injury issues the Blues have had to deal with throughout the campaign.
However, with Richards mentioning Doku and Savinho in his assessment of City’s form, the fact that the two wingers have only registered one goal and three assists between them in the Premier League this season shows how much they are lacking in terms of being consistent goal threats.
In fact, Jack Grealish can be considered in the same bracket as well, with the Englishman providing just one assist and no goals across the eight league games he’s featured in this term.
Moving forward, while injury issues have played a big part in City’s dip in form, there are some figures at the Etihad Stadium who need to step up as individuals and help the team get back on track.
