- Hold up, Cityzens… don’t hit panic mode just yet. Despite the recent injury chaos, Danny Mills is here to drop a truth bomb: Manchester City still have a stronger squad than Premier League leaders Liverpool. Yep, you read that right.
Now, we know it’s been a rough patch… City have lost four games in a row for the first time in Pep Guardiola’s entire career. And the squad’s trailing Liverpool by five points. Ouch. But Mills, the former City full-back, isn’t worried. Should we be?
Here’s the kicker: Rodri’s out. Yep, the man just won the Ballon d’Or, and now he’s missing from the lineup, alongside other key players like Oscar Bobb (21), Ruben Dias (27), John Stones (30), Manuel Akanji (28), Phil Foden (24), Jack Grealish (29), Jeremy Doku (22), and Nathan Ake (29). But Danny’s not fazed. He says Pep’s still got the best squad in the league.
So why are we still losing? Mills wonders if City’s injury list is more than just bad luck. “Are these freak accidents? Or is training too intense? Too many games? What’s the recovery like?” Mills asks. Hmm, good questions.
But here’s the thing… City always find a way. Remember the false nine days without Aguero? And that time without Kompany? They’ve done it before, and Mills believes they’ll do it again.
Let’s talk stats… since Rodri (27) joined City, they’ve won 28 out of 36 games with him in the side, and lost zero. But without him? Five losses in 13 matches. Ouch. But, we’ve still got Kevin De Bruyne (33) back in action, and Mateo Kovacic (29) can step up.
Still, it’s not easy. Losing Rodri hurts, but we’ve got Foden, Gundogan (33), Silva, and more to keep things ticking. Mills is confident that City can still catch Liverpool, despite their 28-point haul this season. And don’t forget, we’re playing Liverpool at Anfield on December 1st. Are we up for the challenge?
Here’s another curveball… Mills thinks Guardiola’s uncertain future is part of the issue. When Pep’s future is in question, does it throw the team off? We saw it with Klopp and Ferguson, so maybe that’s part of it too. “Pep’s future is uncertain, and I don’t think that helps,” Mills said.
“We saw it with Alex Ferguson [at Manchester United] the first time around, when he said he was going to retire at the end of the season, and United dropped off. We saw it last season with Jurgen Klopp.’
‘Liverpool were top by about five points clear. I know City had a game in hand at that stage, but they ended up nine points behind Manchester City. It clearly has an effect.”
The bottom line? City are still the team to beat. The title race isn’t over. And if anyone can turn things around, it’s Pep and his deep squad.
What do you think, Cityzens? Will this blip be a thing of the past by Christmas? Only time will tell.
Sources: Danny Mills’ comments on Stats Perform.
