90min
·03 de dezembro de 2024
90min
·03 de dezembro de 2024
Pep Guardiola will get another crack at solving his current Manchester City conundrum when his side host Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Wednesday.
The winless streak hit seven games on Sunday afternoon as the reigning English champions were comfortably seen off by Liverpool, whose fans provoked a response from the enigmatic Calatan with cries of "you're getting sacked in the morning".
Guardiola still has plenty of fight left, as shown by the finger gestures he made towards the vociferous home crowd, but an in-season renaissance may well be beyond his group of players.
Forest are next on their agenda and more tinkering is expected as Guardiola attempts to finally land that much-needed win. Here's how City could line up at the Etihad.
What now? / Carl Recine/GettyImages
GK: Ederson - Stefan Ortega performed pretty well on Sunday, with Guardiola opting to drop Ederson after his nightmare conclusion to last week's draw with Feyenoord. However, there could be a return to the team for the Brazilian on Wednesday.
CB: Manuel Akanji - The Swiss had epitomised stability since joining the club, but even he's enduring a wobble amid City's woeful run.
CB: Ruben Dias - Dias' return from injury is doubtlessly a boost, although he did play a role in Liverpool's second on Sunday. Still, the Portugal international is an imperative leader and one of the defenders Guardiola will lean on over the coming weeks.
CB: Josko Gvardiol - Gvardiol has been exceptional this calendar year but was an unused substitute on Sunday having made critical mistakes in the defeat to Tottenham and draw with Feyenoord. Perhaps that was the respite he so desperately needed.
CM: Matheus Nunes - The former Wolves midfielder impressed in a wide role before the November break, but he was barely an influence on Sunday. Guardiola needs superior athletes in the middle of the park and Nunes may well be the most impressive out of those currently available.
CM: Ilkay Gundogan - Guardiola's stalwarts have struggled this term, but the Spaniard's got to stick by them. It'll likely be a toss-up between Gundogan and Bernardo Silva on Wednesday, with the pair sharing the midfield minutes.
RW: Savinho - The Brazilian has undoubtedly shown flashes at the start of his City career, but the tricky Savinho is yet to emerge as a reliable final-third producer. If there's a chink in this Forest defence's armour, it's Alex Moreno at left-back.
AM: Kevin De Bruyne - De Bruyne's minutes have been cautiously managed since he returned from injury and his cameo was brief at the weekend. He'll surely be involved from the outset against Forest, with the Belgian's creativity needed to break down a stubborn backline.
AM: Jack Grealish - "I'm thinking Jack Grealish in the middle can help us to have that control and vision into the final third!" Guardiola's post-Anfield comments point towards a change in function for the man who hasn't scored a Premier League goal since last December.
LW: Jeremy Doku - It's been a frustrating campaign for Doku thus far but he's a talent capable of producing something a little bit different. There were bright moments at Anfield and he should get the nod down the left flank.
ST: Erling Haaland - Haaland was a non-entity at Anfield but he remains the Premier League's top scorer and can lift City out of their current slump with a sharp display on Wednesday.