DANNY MURPHY: Pep Guardiola must dig out his stars… with the axe! It’s time for the Man City boss to introduce youthful energy to solve their crisis

After another miserable performance, Pep Guardiola needs to be bold and kick his senior players in the ass.

It’s time to introduce youthful energy into the Manchester City squad, either through the January transfer window or through the fittest and hungriest players already at the club.

If Pep’s lineup doesn’t change, City’s results won’t change and they won’t be playing in the Champions League next season, let alone dreaming of trophies.

Aston Villa were excellent yesterday, but City’s proven players – the players who have experienced so much glory – walked around as if feeling sorry for themselves.

City lacked urgency, both on and off the ball. They created little and made it easy for Villa to play between the lines – a disastrous combination.

Pep’s front five was a big problem. There wasn’t enough movement and running into possession, and a real lack of tenacity without the ball.

City’s team is not hungry on the pitch and they could solve that by adding youth to their team

Aging stalwarts like Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan were unable to stem the Villa tide. Erling Haaland looked exhausted.

Given the circumstances, it’s baffling to me that Jeremy Doku and Savinho – who do have athletic ability – haven’t started, or that younger players like James McAtee haven’t been given a chance. They couldn’t do worse.

When Villa signed Amadou Onana and Morgan Rogers from Everton and Middlesbrough there was no great fanfare, yet City would love their type in their own team at the moment. It’s ironic that Rogers started out at City’s academy but, like Cole Palmer, had to move on to get his chance.

It was a huge surprise to me how passive City were. They couldn’t handle the quality and strength of the two Villa players I mentioned and Jhon Duran.

It’s so different to the great City teams Pep has built. Lack of self-confidence can leave you exhausted, but I think it was more a matter of simply not being able to cope with the physical demands as they grow older together.

City’s players tried to play a high line and apply pressure, but they failed and were overrun. Therefore, Guardiola must now sacrifice some of his usual priority of technical excellence to get his most in-form players into the team.

Haaland looks tired after a long run of games and City must regret selling Julian Alvarez, leaving them without cover – a sense of uncharacteristic complacency from City’s famed recruitment department?

Yet the Norwegian could still run more without the ball and get in people’s faces. Even when Dominic Solanke isn’t playing well for Spurs, he’s an absolute pest. There was no anger or aggression from Haaland and his City friends. Just one booking until the last few minutes tells its own story.

They looked leggy, lacked tenacity and had to go back to basics. The priority in the January transfer window should be to sign two midfielders who can run. The way Onana and Rogers bullied City yesterday was embarrassing for the champions.

Young midfielder James McAtee has hardly had a chance in City’s first team this season

Former City Academy star Morgan Rogers produced a sparkling performance against his old side

I’ve never experienced the same success as this City team, but I remember Gerard Houllier being tough on me when my level dropped after a few good seasons at Liverpool. He left me out of the team and said I was in the comfort zone.

It’s time for Pep to take a leaf out of Sir Alex Ferguson’s book and get rid of some of the guys who have been part of City’s journey as he now sees them fade away.

I think Guardiola would take fourth place now if you offered it to him. Will he be in charge of the first game next season? It’s a good question, but I suspect so.

This is a unique situation for the greatest manager of his generation and I don’t think he wants to abandon ship until he resolves it.