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01/22 01:32 CST Premier League: Man City spends $500M in a year but flaws
remain in bid to be best in England
Premier League: Man City spends $500M in a year but flaws remain in bid to be
best in England
By STEVE DOUGLAS
AP Sports Writer
Manchester City has spent more than $500 million over the past 12 months to
overhaul an aging squad in a bid to regain the team's status as the best in
England.
On current evidence, it won't be a quick fix.
A 2-0 derby loss at Manchester United on Saturday was followed by a surprising
3-1 defeat at Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League on Tuesday. Both matches
exposed the deficiencies in City's squad despite the club's remarkable spending
spree that has continued in January with the arrival of Antoine Semenyo and
Marc Guehi.
Sure, injuries aren't helping. Pep Guardiola has, for example, been robbed of
his entire first-choice defense, with center backs Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol
and John Stones currently injured.
Yet, there are still flaws.
There's still no real backup to striker Erling Haaland, who might be showing
the effects of barely missing a game. He has scored one goal in his last eight
matches --- and that was a penalty.
Despite all the arrivals, City hasn't signed a right back to replace Kyle
Walker so has been relying on midfielder Matheus Nunes to fill in there. Nunes
has done a good job --- he is one of City's most improved players --- but is
unlikely to be the long-term solution.
Guardiola's decision to play virtually the same team for the final weeks of
2025 also highlighted his lack of faith in his back-ups, some of whom --- like
Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri, for example --- were bought as part of the
expensive rebuild.
It all means City's home match against a last-place Wolverhampton team with
just one win all season in the Premier League is no longer a gimme. How could
it be given City's performances over the last week that might rank as among the
worst in Guardiola's decade at the club?
While City has won just two of its last seven matches in all competitions,
Wolves is improving and unbeaten in its last five matches.
City starts the league's 23rd round of games in second place and seven points
behind Arsenal, which --- in drawing its last two league games against
Liverpool and Nottingham Forest --- has failed to take full advantage of City's
recent issues.
Key matchups On Sunday, Arsenal hosts Manchester United, which will look to back up its impressive performance against City and is again likely to play on the counterattack at Emirates Stadium. Third-place Aston Villa, which is level on points with Man City, travels to Newcastle. Liverpool is seven points behind City and Villa in fourth place ahead of a trip to Bournemouth. Players to watch Because of Man City's defensive crisis, Marc Guehi is set to be selected for his debut against Wolves. Max Alleyne, a 20-year-old center back brought back from a loan spell at second-tier Watford, should make way. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta must decide who to play up front out of fit-again Gabriel Jesus and summer signing Viktor Gyokeres, who has been the starting striker so far this season, against United. Both scored in the Champions League win over Inter Milan on Tuesday. Out of action Aston Villa's unlikely title ambitions --- or even its attempts to qualify for the Champions League --- have been hit by a knee injury to Boubacar Kamara that could keep the defensive midfielder out for the rest of the season. The France international is an unsung star for Villa, which badly missed Kamara when he tore his ACL in February 2024, keeping him out for eight months and forcing him to miss the European Championship. Everton winger Jack Grealish is being assessed because of a foot injury that could reportedly keep him out for three months, which would be a blow to his hopes of getting back in the England squad ahead of the World Cup. Off the field There was some respite for Tottenham manager Thomas Frank this week with a win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. Before that, fans had expressed their unhappiness with Frank by taunting him with songs calling for his departure during a 2-1 loss to West Ham in the league last weekend. Losing at next-to-last Burnley on Saturday would likely revive complaints about the Danish coach, who has only been in charge for seven months but has been criticized for his pragmatic tactics. ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer |
