Gael Clichy is one of a number of Manchester City players who can’t be absolutely certain of their futures at the club.
Pep Guardiola must have concerns about all of his defence as a 1-0 defeat to rivals Manchester United stretched their winless run to six games.
However, the former Arsenal full-back has proven he’s exceptionally good at passing the buck, if not the ball.
When asked by the club‘s official website what his side must do to improve, he said:
“If we are a bit more clinical playing forward and more compact as a team, maybe we can do better.
“We gave everything and at the moment, we are not getting what we deserve.
“Lately, the results and the points are not on board. We have to keep working and we’re sure we’re going to get there.”
It’s strange that he’s picked the word “clinical”, as that certainly makes it sounds like it’s the fault of City’s attack that they aren’t winning games.
It’s true that they aren’t scoring penalties, but otherwise, the likes of Sergio Aguero, Kelechi Iheanacho, and Nolito have been putting the goals away.
In fact, it’s hardly a secret that it’s the defence which is letting Guardiola down. He can’t rely on the return of Vincent Kompany either, who had to be taken off against United.
City’s defence ultimately need to take a good look at themselves, as they are repeatedly being undone by individual errors.
If they can’t beat West Brom this weekend, then Guardiola will need to start seriously considering bolstering his squad in January, as anything less than a title in his first season has to be looked upon as a failure.