Pep Guardiola says Man Metropolis ‘needn’t adapt’ after Champions League collapse towards Feyenoord extends winless run to 6 video games | Soccer Information

Pep Guardiola says Manchester Metropolis don’t want to alter after his facet’s winless run prolonged to 6 video games – however is he proper?

All people is aware of the state of affairs, we do not have to adapt something. Tomorrow [Wednesday] we now have to coach, restoration then put together the subsequent recreation. We have now two or three days to arrange for that and go for it.

Metropolis turned the primary crew in Champions League historical past to throw away a three-goal lead after the seventy fifth minute – having already suffered 5 defeats on the bounce earlier than their late collapse towards Feyenoord.

Metropolis are actually eight factors adrift from Liverpool within the Premier League desk and languish in fifteenth spot within the Champions League desk.

Within the Premier League, Metropolis’s present tally of 23 factors after 12 video games ranks as Pep’s second-worst begin to a marketing campaign after 2020/21 when his facet had solely 20 factors however have been nonetheless topped champions come Might – a warning to the doubters.

So, is Metropolis’s alarming collapse in kind only a blip? Will Pep’s facet discover their customary groove as they enter the festive interval? Or, have fantastic cracks grown into obtrusive fractures?

Toothless assault?

Metropolis are scoring fewer objectives than ever earlier than underneath Guardiola this time period, when factoring within the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup – however the underlying information suggests good occasions may return to the Etihad quickly.

The Cityzens are averaging precisely two objectives per recreation throughout these three competitions this time period – notably down on the two.68 recorded in 2018/19.

Nonetheless, Metropolis are registering round 2.2 anticipated objectives per recreation – which is their common over the previous three title-winning campaigns.

Arguably, it will be unfair to level a finger at Erling Haaland: the Norway worldwide tops the home purpose chart with 12 objectives and trails solely Robert Lewandowski on the European stage with 5 objectives.

However, the 24-year-old has registered barely fewer objectives than anticipated this time period in keeping with anticipated objectives – after outgunning all forecasts in his record-breaking, inaugural marketing campaign.

That marginal differential could be unlikely to have an effect on his facet an excessive amount of. Certainly, Haaland’s anticipated purpose numbers mirror the alternatives he creates at such an early stage of the season. The issue is the dearth of team-mates stepping up when their No 9 misfires.

Haaland has scored greater than half of Metropolis’s objectives within the Premier League this season; that ratio was simply 28 per cent final time period.

Leaky defence?

Metropolis’s uncustomary, leaky defence seems to be the important thing situation afflicting Pep’s struggling champions.

The chart beneath reveals Metropolis have shipped extra objectives, registered extra anticipated objectives towards and confronted extra pictures on the right track than in some other season over the previous 9 campaigns.

Moreover, the Metropolis machine is creaking with errors, registering six errors resulting in objectives within the Premier League and Champions League this time period – two greater than everything of final season.

The graphic beneath reveals how simply opponents have performed via Metropolis in every Premier League season since 2017/18. Guardiola’s facet appeared faultless till 2021/22, however permeable ‘pink flag’ areas began to emerge in 2022/23 and this season represents Metropolis’s weakest backline underneath Guardiola.

The graphic beneath reveals Metropolis’s rolling common for anticipated objectives scored (in inexperienced) and conceded (in pink). The present surge in anticipated objectives towards is unprecedented underneath Guardiola’s tenure – permitting opponents to create extra high-quality probabilities than they’re producing themselves.

Metropolis previous peak?

Manchester Metropolis have the 14th-oldest common beginning XI within the Premier League this season, which is not notably alarming given rivals Liverpool, Aston Villa and Newcastle all register older ages – however the proportion of older gamers could possibly be a priority.

Greater than half of Metropolis’s 20 most-used gamers this season are aged 29 or over, with returnee Ilkay Gundogan clocking 1,047 minutes throughout the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup at 34 years of age.

Kyle Walker has notched 660 minutes at 34, whereas talisman Kevin De Bruyne’s injury-laden begin to the marketing campaign has restricted the Belgian to only 462 minutes on the age of 33.

Certainly, Metropolis have handed a league-high proportion of game-time to gamers aged 29 or over. In distinction, Chelsea sit one place and one level shy of Metropolis within the Premier League desk however haven’t handed one minute to a participant aged 29 or over.

Seeing Kyle Walker overwhelmed for tempo towards Timo Werner throughout Metropolis’s 4-0 drubbing towards Tottenham was nearly as surprising as Metropolis’s collapse in kind, however the 34-year-old’s afterburners have been easing off lately – winding down from a sustained 34km/h common prime velocity.

Pep’s facet have overcome slower begins up to now. Nonetheless, the stats spotlight quite a few pink flags and Guardiola’s ‘juggernauts’ can be trying to silence the critics and slash the hole to 5 factors once they journey to Anfield on Sunday.