MANCHESTER, England — It’s hard to win anything with an unreliable defence, so Pep Guardiola has work to do if Manchester City are to come close to replicating last season’s treble success this time around.
Eight goals conceded in three games with the lead surrendered six times in those fixtures, are the kind of statistics usually associated with Erik ten Hag’s out-of-form Manchester United rather than Manchester City, but they are the reality of Guardiola’s team right now after Tottenham ended their three-game losing streak to draw 3-3 at the Etihad on Sunday.
These are unusual times at City. It is the first time they have gone three Premier League games without a win since March-April 2017, and you have to go back to Nov. 2009 for the last time City led in three successive league games and failed to win any of them, as Guardiola’s side have done against Chelsea (4-4), Liverpool (1-1) and now Spurs.
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And things could get worse before they get better. City travel to Aston Villa — a point behind in fourth place — on Wednesday with Unai Emery’s team having won their last seven home games. City will face them without Rodri, whose yellow card against Spurs earned him a one-match suspension, and Guardiola will remember that his team lost three successive games while the Spain midfielder was suspended earlier this season.
The absence of Rodri is a one-game issue that could be addressed by Kalvin Phillips, John Stones or Rico Lewis stepping into his position in front of the back four, but the defensive problems will need more work than one simple selection switch.
