The striker's low confidence is just one sign of the low point the champions find themselves in after losing three games in a row
"Manchester City don't give you the twists," said Gary Neville during last season's Premier League title run-in. "You always said in the years gone by that there will be a twist and a turn, that something happens. I'm not sure it is going to happen."
Neville might have been proved right then as Pep Guardiola's side held off the threat of Arsenal and claimed a record fourth successive title by winning their final nine games. But right now City are not just twisting, they have fallen flat on their faces.
For just the third time in the Guardiola era, they have lost three games in a row in all competitions, going out to Tottenham in the Carabao Cup before being well beaten by Bournemouth and then destroyed by Ruben Amorim's Sporting CP. And next up is the trickiest of trips to Brighton, who offer a serious threat of City suffering a fourth consecutive defeat for the first time ever under Guardiola.
It is no exaggeration to say that the Catalan faces the toughest challenge of his glorious spell in charge at the Etihad Stadium. And how he navigates it will affect the destination of the Premier League title, as well as impacting whether or not this will be his last campaign with the club.
(C)Getty Images'Everything going the wrong way'
Bernardo Silva should have enjoyed returning to his home city of Lisbon but as he spoke to after Sporting had ripped his side apart at the Estadio Jose Alvalade, he could not hide his sadness or his incredulity. "It's difficult to find the reasons why what is happening now to us," the Portugal international said. "I don't remember in seven-and-a-half seasons losing three in a row. We're in a dark place, everything looks to be going the wrong way."
Indeed, it is not just the results that are concerning. Something just does not seem right with Guardiola's side. As Neville referenced last May, City are usually experts in composure. They can numb the most intimidating of atmospheres into silence by keeping the ball forever. They can lose a player like Kevin De Bruyne for half of the season or Erling Haaland for two months – and still win the league.
They can write off a big money signing like Kalvin Phillips in a matter of weeks and barely notice. They can be hit by 115 charges from the Premier League, threatening their very existence, but block it all out and still go on to win the treble. Keep calm and carry on winning, no matter the circumstance.
But that usual sense of serenity has been replaced by a feeling of panic. Just look at Haaland.
AdvertisementGetty Haaland is low on confidence
The Norwegian takes pride in avoiding stress as much as he can, embracing meditation and sleep techniques. Now, though, he looks anything but relaxed. He had five attempts on goal against Sporting and each wasted opportunity told a different story. He could be forgiven for not beating Franco Israel from a tight angle early in the game but his next effort, when he latched on to a bouncing ball in the area and then shanked it well wide of the near post, portrayed his current lack of confidence.
So did his next effort, a header that lacked the power to cross the goal-line before being cleared by Viktor Gyokeres. Worst of all was his performance from the penalty spot, when he hit the ball as hard as he could, hammering it against the crossbar.
As Guardiola warned us last season when he said "Never criticise your top scorer, he will shut your mouth," one must always be careful about writing off Haaland. He had scored an outrageous volley in his last Champions League outing and has 11 Premier League goals. But he is on a patchy run of form, to put it mildly.
He has failed to score in six of his last 10 games for City. In the Premier League, he has one goal in his last five. Against Wolves, he registered zero shots on goal. But against Newcastle, as in Lisbon, he had five attempts but got no joy. Against Southampton he was laughably wasteful, scoring just once from eight shots.
Getty Images SportDesperate defending
When Guardiola said his team were "not emotionally stable" in Lisbon, it sounded like he was referring to Haaland. But he was in fact referring to Josko Gvardiol and Matheus Nunes for the manner in which they gave away penalties in the second half. Both players threw their arms out to try and stop their opponents. It looked like a sign of desperation.
Perhaps it should not be surprising that City look out of sorts defensively. In Lisbon, they were fielding a different back four for the fifth game in a row and Jahmai Simpson-Pusey was making his first-team debut. The 19-year-old was thrown into the deep end but Guardiola had little option as his defence has been decimated. Ruben Dias and John Stones were out, while Kyle Walker had just rushed back from injury and was kept on the bench after his erratic display against Bournemouth.
Rico Lewis has usurped Walker in the line-up on many occasions this season, although the 34-year-old's injury issues have been a factor in that regard. And this was a night when City badly missed their experienced right-back and his renowned recovery pace.
(C)Getty ImagesLonging for Rodri
And, of course, City were missing Rodri, the one player who they have not been able to do without in recent years. The English champions lost all four of the games he was suspended for in the first half of last season and, after winning the first six games after he suffered his season-ending injury against Arsenal, they are again showing how much they rely on the recent Ballon d'Or winner.
Mateo Kovacic worked best last season when he was sitting next to the Spaniard in midfield. Without him, he has been increasingly exposed. Ilkay Gundogan has looked much less vibrant than when he left for Barcelona. Perhaps that should be no surprise for a player who turned 34 last month, had spent the previous season in a much less intense league and who retired from Germany as he needed to play less football.
Dias and Stones are unlikely to be back for City’s trip to the Amex Stadium to face a Brighton side who gave Liverpool a real fright last week and who have beaten Newcastle, Tottenham and Manchester United while taking points off Arsenal.
When the defensive injury crisis abates, however, there is every chance that City regroup and rediscover their old selves.
