The cracks are beginning to show in Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side. After losing for the 4th consecutive time in all competitions, the Manchester side have dropped five points behind Liverpool, who are currently first in the Premier League, while also getting eliminated from the EFL Cup. They’re also in 10th place in the UEFA Champions League table, outside of the top eight, meaning that if results stand, they’d have to play in a knockout round to even reach the Round of 16. 

This is the first time Pep Guardiola has gone through such a stretch of losing since taking over Man City, which might mean that this current stretch of form isn’t just City’s yearly autumn dip; there are underlying issues that could be detrimental to their remaining 2024-2025 campaign. 

One of these issues has been injuries. Earlier this year, Ballon d’Or winner Rodri was knocked out with an ACL injury, a massive blow to City’s midfield that was so reliant on him for support. To put it simply, Man City don’t lose when Rodri is on the pitch. 

Other influential players such as Jack Grealish, John Stones, and Jeremy Doku are also out. John Stones specifically is a vital piece to the buildup for Manchester City alongside Rodri. 

Now, Pep has to rely on some of his reserves to fill up some minutes. And although they have some good depth (as most good teams do), City’s level falls off pretty substantially when they don’t have their signature starting lineup. 

To make matters worse, Kevin De Brunye is still building up his fitness after recovering from a groin injury, making Pep Guardiola's midfield struggles even worse.

Injuries aren’t the only culprit; some of the players that you would expect to perform are doing the opposite. When Gundogan signed for Manchester City earlier this year, the football/soccer community was stunned. He was coming off a great season with FC Barcelona, and the expectation was that he would continue his stretch of play with City; expectations don’t always match up with reality. 

Age has obviously caught up with Gundogan; he doesn’t have the pace or work ethic needed to consistently start for top Premier League teams anymore. It’s obvious that Gundogan has been unable to fill the KDB-sized hole in Manchester City’s attacking midfield like many thought he could.

The upcoming fixtures don't get any easier from here either, with Tottenham and Liverpool next up on their Premier League schedule. Liverpool are currently at the top of the standings, and Tottenham are never an easy team to face. Picking up points in those two matchups could bring Manchester City back to form, but if they don’t do well, conversations will begin regarding the end of Manchester City’s era of PL dominance. 

But even then, I don’t feel comfortable putting Manchester City outside of the title race before December. City has been in these types of situations before, albeit slightly less extreme. If enough results go their way and players begin to return from injury, there are very few teams that line up well against Manchester City on paper.