Manchester City: Two Areas Where Pep Guardiola & Co Must Improve in 2025

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Manchester City has undeniably dominated English football in recent years, with four consecutive Premier League titles and a historic treble in the 2022-23 season. However, their current campaign paints a different picture.

Sitting seventh in the league with just eight wins from 17 games, Pep Guardiola’s side finds itself struggling to match its previous highs. A lack of consistency, key injuries, and a demanding schedule have all contributed to a season that feels far from vintage.

City’s ability to bounce back from adversity has been a hallmark of Guardiola's tenure. However, with a depleted squad and questions over certain areas of their game, 2025 presents challenges that cannot be ignored. Two glaring issues are their reliance on Rodri in midfield and a concerning dip in goal-scoring efficiency.

The Midfield Void: Life Without Rodri

Rodri’s importance to Manchester City cannot be overstated. The Spanish midfielder has been the backbone of City’s dominance, offering a unique blend of defensive stability and attacking creativity. His absence due to injury this season has exposed a glaring gap in midfield, with no adequate replacement to fill his role.

Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, and Mateo Kovacic have been tried in the holding midfield position, but none possess Rodri’s blend of physicality, vision, and tactical acumen. Guardiola’s reliance on Silva as a makeshift defensive midfielder during key games highlights the lack of depth in this critical position. The result? Opposing teams have found it easier to exploit City’s midfield, as seen in losses to Aston Villa and Liverpool.

City’s hesitation to invest in a short-term replacement for Rodri has only exacerbated the issue. While targets like Martin Zubimendi and Bruno Guimarães were reportedly considered, the club’s preference for long-term solutions has left them vulnerable in the present.

The need for a versatile midfielder who can partner with or deputise for Rodri is no longer a luxury– it’s a necessity. Without addressing this, City’s diminishing title aspirations could suffer further.

The Goal-Scoring Conundrum

For a team that once boasted a plethora of attacking options, Manchester City’s goal-scoring struggles in recent months are striking. Despite having Erling Haaland, one of the world’s most prolific strikers, City has scored just ten goals in their last nine Premier League games – a stark contrast to their usual standards.

Haaland, with 13 goals this season, has been shouldering the burden alone. However, his expected goals (xG) per 90 minutes have dropped compared to previous seasons, highlighting a decline in the quality and frequency of chances created for him. This over-reliance on Haaland has made City’s attack more predictable, with fewer contributions from wingers and attacking midfielders.

The absence of players like Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling, who consistently delivered double-digit goals in past seasons, has left a creative void. Jack Grealish and Savinho, tasked with supplying Haaland, have struggled to replicate the goal-scoring impact of their predecessors. To regain their attacking fluidity, City must rediscover the balance that made them so dangerous – one where multiple players contribute regularly to the scoreline.