There isn’t a Man City thread this year

[pedro1918]

And I’m not going to start one, but this seems important:

DeBruyne out for 4 months??

Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne could miss the next four months with the club set to decide whether the Belgium international needs surgery on a hamstring injury, manager Pep Guardiola has said.

De Bruyne limped off during the first half of City's 3-0 win over Burnley on Friday after suffering a recurrence of the problem which cut short his involvement in the Champions League final in June.

 

[SocrManiac]

He's never been the most durable guy on the pitch. He's immensely valuable, obviously, but somehow I think that Citeh will figure it out well enough to win again this year.

 

[Tangled Up In Red]

I hope this means Grealish gets some run centrally...?

 

[the1andonly3003]

Introducing Manchester City’s new attacking formation: 4-2-5 (yes, you read that right) - The Athletic

I think Ederson was taking over playmaking duties anyways

 

[Zososoxfan]

How many players does Pep want that he doesn't have? Like, I don't think he'd want Mbappe on his team necessarily because he needs that player to put in more defensively and be positionally sound. But more generally, is there a position that Pep would realistically want to upgrade? I feel like he's more about crafting new tactics that perhaps need a different skillset, but with Foden, Grealish, and Bernardo, I don't expect too much dropoff, although no one can thread a killer 40-yard pass quite like KDB.

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

How many players does Pep want that he doesn't have? Like, I don't think he'd want Mbappe on his team necessarily because he needs that player to put in more defensively and be positionally sound. But more generally, is there a position that Pep would realistically want to upgrade? I feel like he's more about crafting new tactics that perhaps need a different skillset, but with Foden, Grealish, and Bernardo, I don't expect too much dropoff, although no one can thread a killer 40-yard pass quite like KDB.

He could use a better keeper. Ederson’s great at distribution but is pretty mediocre in just about everything else.

Edit: mind you that distribution skillset may be valued over all else - especially given the paucity of shots he faces.

 

[the1andonly3003]

Inside Manchester City’s history-making fourth Premier League title in a row - The Athletic (nytimes.com)

Rodri had left the stadium on the verge of tears, on his way to a meal for the squad and their families before they flew out to Saudi Arabia for the Club World Cup that night. The atmosphere was completely flat, with the players’ loved ones not daring to lighten the mood.

Haaland's sacrifice and Walker's call to arms: How City won title (telegraph.co.uk)

To quote the philosopher Mike Shinoda "I tried so hard and got so far/But in the end, it doesn't even matter "