Whoever controls the music at the Etihad Stadium is stuck at some Bloc Party. Two More Years, a single from 2005. One of their most beautiful.
The choice felt a bit on the nose, but Pep Guardiola signed until 2027, so why not? It’s worth celebrating, even if you’re lining up at half-time and Manchester City are 2-0 down, staring at an unfathomable fifth defeat in a row. Just a little reminder of what they have at their disposal. At least on the surface: the song is really about fading love and closure.
That probably didn’t cross the DJ’s mind, but listen to it – Kele Okereke sings about ‘this pain won’t last forever’ – and there are aspects that apply to City. No, this pain won’t last forever. If it goes on much longer, the title race will become irreparable, but in the long term, amid what is starting to feel like a fairly focused rebuild of the squad, there is no better man to lead them.
When that peloton shuffling starts, it’s up to the champions. There is nothing stopping them from entering the January market if sporting director Txiki Begiristain and Guardiola believe the right player is available. And while the problems during this worrying run of form run deeper than just the absence of Rodri, a central midfielder would be at the top of City’s list.
Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi – the man who excelled for Spain in the European Championship final against England after replacing an injured Rodri at half-time – has been named, along with Ederson at Atalanta. At 25, they are neither old nor raw.
Pep Guardiola faces a dilemma over an aging squad and could be on the brink of a fairly major rebuild
City misses Rodri enormously after he suffered his fifth defeat in the match against Tottenham on Saturday
Spain international Martin Zubiamendi has been mentioned as a player Man City could target
City are fixated on someone who can operate in a holding role but also be able to progress; both mentioned seem capable of doing so. Ederson has a little more threat going forward, while Zubimendi is essentially a younger Rodri.
That’s why Mateo Kovacic came in, and Kalvin Phillips to a lesser extent. Phillips is now on loan at Ipswich Town. While Kovacic is adept at moving forward, he is still learning the discipline required to play Rodri’s role. This season, the Croatian has jumped out of position numerous times in an attempt to catch a fastball and has been left floundering.
Those moments, when you’re running back to your own goal, can make City look a little tired. And it’s entirely reasonable for them to do so, as the squad is now full of more experienced players. Unsolicited, Guardiola said last week that twelve of his team are thirty years or older. There are actually nine – three more makes 29 – but the point still stands and he is clearly thinking about it.
Fifty-two percent of City’s minutes this season have been played by these guys – easily the highest in the division. Age was always going to catch up with them at some point and until recently the idea of replacing the older men still performing at their peak felt ridiculous.
And so here we are, with injuries and loss of form for the majority of them all coinciding at once. Ilkay Gundogan, whose romantic return was announced, looks like a man who has spent a year playing games at his own pace in La Liga. Kovacic – out for a month – was slow defensively. Even Bernardo Silva has lost some of his grit. The energy in midfield is left to the young Rico Lewis, who needs rest. Elsewhere, club captain Kyle Walker is a shadow of his former self. John Stones is only fit for 45 minutes. De Bruyne does not start.
The champions have had to play the last five games without Ballon d’Or winner Rodri
Mateo Kovacic (left) is still learning the discipline required to play the role of Rodri
Ilkay Gundogan has looked sluggish following his romantic return to Man City following his spell at Barcelona
Kevin De Bruyne, meanwhile, missed the first nine games of the season due to injury
“City have a lot of ball possession, so sometimes we can rest when we defend,” said Dejan Kulusevski, who was fantastic again as he flew down the wing for City.
‘There is so much space up there, we play one against one and then it is always dangerous because we have a lot of quality.’
Kulusevski always gives his best for City, and the same goes for Tottenham, again brilliantly – a statement for Ange Postecoglou and his outspoken style.
The aftermath, however, is about Guardiola. About what City can do in the meantime. Claudio Echeverri arrives from River Plate in six weeks’ time, but is attacking-minded and still only 18 years old, so the key decision in the coming weeks – and this could ultimately ease the burden on Begiristain’s successor Hugo Viana – is whether he the bullet has to bite and spend further back.
While it’s not a market City usually deals with, Aymeric Laporte the only real standout winter signing of the Guardiola era, they need something new. If only to freshen it up.