Catégorie : Sport News

The stars were bound to align for Josh Allen at some point. That point seems to be 2024, as the Buffalo Bills QB’s odds of winning the NFL MVP award this year skyrocketed after yet another massive performance in an upset win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday. However, Stephen A. Smith says Allen still has a ways to go to become the “scariest” QB in the league.

Speaking on ESPN’s First Take on Monday, Smith was asked who was the scarier QB between rivals Allen and Mahomes. While he did acknowledge that Allen is elite and scary in his own right, the leading analyst still believes that the Kansas City Chiefs QB, with the ball in his hands at the end of a game, is “more scary” than any other scenario in the NFL.

“Ya’ll have both taught me over the years, resume matters. And I’m gonna tell you this right now to answer the question directly… about who’s the scariest quarterback in the National Football League. Is there anything more scary than the game being on the line, and Patrick Mahomes having the ball? There is not. So I’m still going with Patrick Mahomes, Mahomeboy, absolutely.”

Smith is not the only one who feels that way. In fact, it would be hard for anyone to argue otherwise. Mahomes has seven game-winning drives this season, three more than the next-best quarterback.

Mahomes’ clutch factor and playoff success give him the edge

Since the Tyler, Texas native’s first Super Bowl season in 2019, he has engineered 20 regular season game-winning drives, most in the NFL over that span. He’s even better in the postseason.

He has cobbled together six game-winning playoff drives since 2018. That’s twice as many as the next-best quarterback, the retired Tom Brady. Allen had 18 game-winning drives over the same regular season span, but he has never put together a game-winning drive in the postseason.

It’s not just Mahomes’ clutch factor that gives him the overall edge over Allen, but also his consistent playoff success compared to Allen’s comparatively shaky record. Smith acknowledged the same during the show, noting that Allen’s individual numbers in the playoffs are impressive, but that they haven’t been “enough to upend a Patrick Mahomes or a Joe Burrow”.

“Josh Allen is 0-3 against him. He’s 0-1 against Burrow. I’m talking postseason. His record in the postseason is .500, he’s (Allen) at 5-5. 27 touchdowns, six turnovers, I get that part but… Josh Allen’s got to show me he can get it done in the postseason. We’ve seen him perform well in the postseason, and I’m definitely not trying to imply that. But it still wasn’t enough to upend a Patrick Mahomes or a Joe Burrow.”

The rivalry between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen is a strange one. Allen has dominated the regular season engagements, winning four of five, including this year’s 30-21 win. That was just the 4th time Mahomes started and lost a regular season game by multiple scores. Allen also beat him by 18 points in the 2021 regular season.

But it’s Mahomes and the Chiefs who have Buffalo’s number in the postseason, holding a perfect 3-0 record when the two clash in January. That includes the infamous ’13 seconds’ game, where Allen led two touchdown drives in the final two minutes yet still came up short.

Allen has been a different QB this season, eliminating the turnovers that have saddled him for so many years. Mahomes and the Chiefs, meanwhile, have shown off some serious warts. They have won many games by the skin on their chinny-chin-chin, thanks in large part not to their own prowess, but because of boneheaded mistakes by the opposition.

Mahomes is on pace for career worsts in passing yards per game (239.1), TD rate (4.4), yards per attempt (6.7), and passer rating (91.0). What people aren’t talking about as much is something that has likely been a major factor for the dip in form: the offensive line. Mahomes has been sacked 35 times (9th-most) this year for a sack rate of 6.52. Those are already career highs by some margin, even with a few games to go.

Josh Allen is going to win his first NFL MVP this season. Especially since Mahomes and the Chiefs seem to have some deep underlying issues this season. If there was ever a year to get the monkey off their back, it’s 2024.

We’d say it was a record ideal for Alexandra Palace, but… well, probably best not to use the word ‘Palace’ around Brighton fans at the moment.

Hitting 60, 60, 60 makes for a perfect 180 situation for Luke Littler and co, but for Brighton and Hove Albion it encapsulates the up and down nature of their life in the Premier League.

That’s because their defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon has brought their record over their past 180 Premier League games into perfect balance.

Brighton’s win-draw-loss record pleasing for anal retentives

We presume TNT Sports were going for the darts angle when they put that stat together, but yes: Brighton’s record over their past 180 games is won 60, drawn 60, lost 60.

That figure goes back to their 1-1 draw away to Sheffield United in February 2020, the Seagulls’ third season in the Premier League.

Brighton have balanced out finishing 15th that season and 16th the following year with rising to 9th in 2021/22 and 6th in 2022/23.

Last season they finished 11th and were almost as even as it was possible to get, with 12 wins, 12 draws and 14 losses. That’s carried on into the new campaign, with six wins, six draws and four defeats.

Annoyingly, Brighton have marred what would otherwise have been an absolutely perfect stat by coming up with a goal difference of -3 over those 180 games, scoring 243 and conceding 246.

As such we’re rooting for Fabian Huerzeler to guide Brighton to win 4-0, lose 1-0 and draw twice by any scoreline in their next four games, which would give them the ideal W60, D60, L60, GD0 record the day after PDC World Championship wraps up on January 3. (Irritatingly, they can’t do it before then because the current first three games of the run are two draws and a loss.)

And actually, with West Ham, Brentford, Aston Villa and Arsenal next on the agenda in Brighton’s festive run of Premier League action, that doesn’t feel like too big an ask.

Come on, Fabian. Give the people what they want.

Over the four years he’s been an NBA player, Austin Reaves has evolved into a core member of the Lakers roster. However, his ascension to one of the premier shooting guards in the association didn’t happen overnight. Despite going undrafted in 2021, Reaves didn’t stop working towards his dream. He sought out and signed a two-way contract with the Lakers after the draft. But just over a month later, the team converted his deal to a standard contract, thanks to a stellar performance in a special event.

Reaves made a guest appearance on teammate D’Angelo Russell’s The Backyard Podcast. He shared the details of the event, which changed the trajectory of his NBA career. His performance in LeBron’s private mini-camp solidified his future with the franchise. He said,

“I think it was the day before training camp. I went to Bron’s mini-camp. My agent called me on Saturday. We were coming back here on Sunday and was like, ‘Rob wants to get on a call when you get back Sunday.’ I thought it was going to be more of like just keep doing what you’re doing… I was like, I’m going to show up and do what I got to do and that next day I got converted.”

Once Russell received light of the situation he coined a hilarious term for the process that happened to Reaves. He said,

“You went through the Bron-shing machine.  You had to get approved and validated first.”

Reaves quickly earned the trust and approval of the Lakers. Usually, teams will wait to see how a player performs in the regular season before making a decision. The Lakers knew they had to secure Reaves before an opposing team made a run for the young guard.

AR-15 excelled in his early years with the team, showing his talent from the get-go. Whatever trust he built between LeBron James during the mini-camp, he strengthened it in the NBA. In his rookie season, he nailed a clutch game-winning three-pointer against the Mavericks, which ignited his clutch gene. The moment he truly earned the trust of the team came during the Lakers’ first-round series against the Grizzlies in 2023. Reaves took over in the clutch during Game 1 willing the team to victory.

Since that moment, he’s become one of the first young players that LeBron trusts with the game on the line.

LeBron James and Austin Reaves’ connection

James’ fondness for Reaves exceeds their connection on the basketball court. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer hasn’t been shy to give praise to the 6-foot-5 guard. Despite not possessing jaw-dropping athletic abilities, James is a big fan of Reaves’ ability to play winning basketball.

“I don’t give a f–k about, like, athleticism; how great you can shoot the ball; how high you can jump; how fast you can run, “ said James. “I like high basketball IQ guys. Obviously, you got to have that s–t to win a championship. You got to have guys that can do extraordinary s–t. But, like, I’ve always had a liking to guys that just know how to play the f–king game of basketball.”

Reaves has quickly become almost untouchable when it comes to potential Lakers trades. He’s solidified his position as the third star on this Lakers roster, and it seems like LeBron’s stamp of approval goes a very long way.

Austrian international Guido Burgstaller has suffered a fractured skull after a ‘brutal’ attack in Vienna city centre.

Rapid Vienna announced on Monday that the former Cardiff City forward had been attacked in front of witnesses over the weekend and is expected to spend the next few days in hospital.

Burgstaller is said to have been struck with a ‘brutal blow’ by an unidentified male assailant, causing him to fall. He suffered serious head injuries including a fracture and has been ruled out of playing duties for several months.

Guido Burgstaller in hospital after Vienna attack

Rapid add that the incident occurred in front of witnesses and that the club ‘trusts that the responsible authorities will soon bring the as-yet unidentified perpetrator to justice’.

Austrian outlet Kurier report that police have indicated that Burgstaller was involved in an argument at around 6am on Saturday, during which he was struck and suffered a fracture to the back of his skull. The perpetrator then fled the scene.

Rapid added in a club statement: « We ask that you respect the privacy of Guido Burgstaller and his family. If there is any news in the next few days, SK Rapid will report it in consultation with its medical department and Guido Burgstaller.

« SK Rapid will of course fully support Guido Burgstaller on his way to a full and hopefully speedy recovery. »

The 35 year old centre-forward represented FC Karnten, Winer Neustadt and Rapid before joining Cardiff in 2014.

Burgstaller played three games for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side before having his contract terminated by mutual consent the following January, joining German second-tier side Nurnberg a few days later.

His impressive goalscoring form for Nurnberg earned him a move to Schalke two years later, twice finishing as their top scorer and helping the club finish second in the Bundesliga in 2017/18.

Burgstaller left Schalke for St Pauli in 2020, then returned to Rapid two years later. He was one of three players dropped from Ralf Rangnick’s national team for homophobic chanting following the Vienna derby in February.

Vitor Pereira looks to be in line to replace Gary O’Neil at Wolverhampton Wanderers, according to reports – but time will tell whether he will prove more popular at Molyneux than he would have been at Everton.

The Portuguese, currently in charge of Saudi side Al Shabab, is reportedly in talks about taking over at troubled Wolves, who sit second from bottom of the Premier League only because Southampton remain so resolutely awful.

Saturday’s defeat to newly-promoted fellow strugglers Ipswich Town proved the final straw for O’Neil, whose departure was announced on Sunday afternoon, potentially paving the way for former Porto and Olympiacos boss Pereira to take over.

Everton fans daubed graffiti on Goodison Park to protest potential Vitor Pereira appointment

Pereira was reported to be Farhad Moshiri’s preferred candidate to replace Rafa Benitez back in January 2022, but some Everton fans were less than thrilled with the prospect of appointing the three-time league title winner in Portgual and Greece.

Protests greeted news that Graffiti was painted on the side of Goodison Park demanding “Pereira out Lampard in” – a wish that was ultimately granted and of course worked out fabulously well for all concerned.

Pereira said in response at the time: “This is the first time in my career that I see this kind of thing. I never had in my career this kind of comment about me.

“My CV speaks for itself, but I think this criticism is not to me, it’s the environment now because the club is not in a good position.

“The supporters have passion, and I think this passion is the power of the club. I remember when I watched Everton games a few years ago, and sometimes the spirit of the supporters won the game.

“Passion in football can have a positive or a negative side. What a manager should do in this moment is bring [back] the positive passion from the supporters. I don’t think these are personal attacks.”

Pereira insisted he still wanted the job, but Lampard was appointed instead. Under his watch, Everton soared from a lowly 16th and four points clear of the drop zone upon his appointment all the way to the heady heights of, erm, still 16th and still four points clear of the drop zone by the end of the season.

The former Chelsea and England midfielder ranked at no.8 in FourFourTwo’s list of the best Premier League players of all time, was dismissed with the club off the bottom of the table on goal difference alone before Sean Dyche rescued them from the drop.

Max Verstappen had to work hard for his fourth world championship but ultimately secured it with two race weekends to spare. His primary challenger, Lando Norris, fell short due to numerous mistakes by both himself and McLaren throughout 2024. Reflecting on the season, Verstappen admitted that Norris didn’t fully enjoy his success when it mattered most.

Norris won four races in 2024, including the Singapore GP, after which it felt like the tides were turning in his favor. The gap to Verstappen at the front was reduced to just 52 points, and considering how dominating the Briton was on the evening, it looked as though Norris would win a lot more.

As such, the Briton’s reactions post-win were rather subdued. He had already put his mind to winning the Championship, so much so that he didn’t enjoy the win fully because of focusing on the bigger picture.

“You have to realize a race win in F1 won’t always come as easy like 1, 2, 3,” Verstappen said in the post-season documentary. “That’s why I think it is important to keep cheering at every race win. It’s not normal. You have to take in the fact it could be your last.”

In 2023, Verstappen had won 19 races out of 22 — the most in a single season in F1 history. He also admitted that he got very used to winning, a feeling he took for granted. However, his difficulties in 2024 made him realize that there was more to enjoy than just Championships.

Norris had eyes only on the title

2024 was a ground-breaking year for Norris. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that he only won his first-ever race this year in Miami, which turned out to be a defining moment for him, and McLaren.

Norris realized he had the best car underneath him, and didn’t know if he would have gotten a chance to fight for the title ever again. That’s why he went all guns blazing and wasn’t satisfied with just wins.

Even in Zandvoort, Norris had a quiet victory celebration despite being dominant on the track. “If I was completely out of the championship I probably would’ve celebrated more, but considering I know it kind of means something towards a bigger prospect, it just felt like a smaller thing on that day and the meaning of it,” Norris had said per Formula1.com.

In the end, Norris failed in his pursuit of the Drivers’ title, but his dedication did help McLaren overall. His and teammate Oscar Piastri’s collective efforts helped the papaya squad bag its first Constructors’ title since 1998.

Down in the Etihad’s bowels there lies a room. With capacity to hold 100 or so folk, it is about function not glamour. Every football ground has a variation of the same space, and after each match, a pair of contractually obligated managerial types enter via a side door flanked by a largely silent, usually suited, club employee.

Largely banal queries are then posed until said club employee decides enough is enough. Usually, the answers given are in equal measure predictable and bland. And so, it continues, match-after-match. No one really knows why. It just is.

But occasionally, very occasionally, those post-game exchanges shine a revealing light on what football is and what it means. On Sunday, after the 195th Manchester derby, the world glimpsed the two ends of the managerial spectrum.

The Manchester Derby was a tale of two bosses

First, in the red corner, entered Ruben Amorim sporting beige chinos and spotless snow-white trainers. Half an hour earlier, he had watched his Manchester United side turn what looked, with a few minutes remaining, like a slender-yet-honourable defeat into a slender-yet-potentially-defining victory.

Amad Diallo’s winning goal was met with an old-school pile on in front of Amorim’s technical area, the type that, in a pre-health and safety world was a staple of concrete playgrounds.

Lisandro Martinez was on the bottom, rolling around gleefully after his clipped pass had set up Diallo. It was joyous.

A few minutes later, the final whistle went. But as his name rang out from a delirious three-tiered away end, Amorim was long gone. After a firm shake of Pep Guardiola’s hand, he had whizzed back to United’s dressing room before Manchester City’s Tunnel Club staff had put out the post-match brie.

Amorim knows there is much work still to be done, and desperately needs time on the training ground. As it is, he is attempting to micro-manage his players through every step in real time. Given the pace of a Premier League game, that is akin to standing on a motorway bridge and trying to direct traffic in and out of lanes.

Anyway, Amorim breezed in the room, a lightness of foot, a softness of movement. He smiled. He made eye contact. He fielded questions smartly, answering them directly but still managing to say exactly what he wanted to say. The decision to leave Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho not just out of the starting XI, but out of the travelling squad completely was “not disciplinary” he told reporters.

“Next week, next game, new life, they are fighting for their places. But for me it is important the performance in training, the performance in games, the way you dress, the way you eat, the way you engage with your team-mates, the way you push your team-mates.

“Everything is important in our context in the beginning of something when we want to change a lot of things, when people in our club are losing their jobs, we have to put the standards really high.”

Amorim was adamant it was not a statement selection, just a selection. But the message was clear. What went before will no longer suffice. Buckle up. “A lot of players here are improving, are fighting, are working really hard, are suffering,” he added. “And that is a good thing, when you suffer for something.”

Then, as he was about to leave, Amorim fielded the trickiest question of them all. 48 hours before the game, United’s team was leaked on social media. Amorim grinned again. “I know that story,” he said. “I think it’s impossible to fix nowadays. Because you have a lot of people in the club.

“It’s not a good thing. But let’s move on and go to the next one. And see if they find the next starting eleven.” And with a glint in his eye, Amorim departed. It was a word-perfect performance. Bravo.

And then came Pep. At least it looked Pep, smelt like Pep and sat in Pep’s seat. It sort of moved like Pep But it was not Pep, not really, not as we know him. Not the all-conquering, #fourinarow, treble winner. It was the ghost of Pep past, and it was not easy to watch.

“I’m the boss, I’m the manager and I’m not good enough,” he told reporters. Wait, what? No, he didn’t just say that – did he? But Pep repeated it. “It’s as simple as that. I have to find a way to talk to them about the way we have to play and press and build up and I’m not good enough.”

Six titles; two FA Cups; four League Cups; the Champions League. ‘If that guy isn’t good enough, who is?’ thought the room.

Only a month-and-a-half back, Guardiola reminded everyone, City were Europe’s only unbeaten side. But this was not the type of bullish, brash Pep statement that had accompanied previous defeats. When Tottenham humbled City a few weeks back, Guardiola was still swinging hard. He pointed to injuries, he pointed to previous success as if that would guarantee future performance.

There was none of that now. This was a man struggling with his own footballing mortality, a manager with all the questions but, as yet, no answers.

“Eight out of 11,” he kept repeating, as if saying it would somehow make an unprecedented number of modern-era City defeats go away.

Then came enquiries that would have felt unthinkable six weeks ago. Does he still believe he can turn it around? Will he see out the two-year contract extension he recently signed? “This is a big club; the club of course cannot accept it. I’m still here sitting here in the press conference because of what we have done in the past.

« I want it desperately. With eight defeats in 11, but I’m here to try and I will try again and again. »

While Guardiola’s words were in themselves, at least in a footballing context, shocking, the way that they were delivered – the dejection, the pauses, the sighs – were even more worrying. Only those with the coldest of blood would not have felt a little sympathy for a man who looked like tears could arrive at any moment.

And that, in a nutshell, is football. It can break the unbreakable, take shatterproof rulers and smite them into a thousand plastic shards.

Two men came in the same door, sat in the same chair and left the same way. But those two men are in very different headspaces.

Manchester United are looking to move for Marcus Rashford’s replacement as early as January, with Ruben Amorim unconvinced with the Englishman since taking over.

Rashford started Amorim’s first two Premier League games in charge of Manchester United, before having to settle as a second-half substitute against both Arsenal and Nottingham Forest.

The Portuguese manager left Rashford – along with Alejandro Garnacho – out of the matchday squad during Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Manchester City, however, stating that, after evalutaing his « training, performance, and engagement with team-mates », it became a simple selection decision.

Manchester United looking at potential Marcus Rashford replacements

As a result, it seems the 27-year-old Manchester United academy graduate’s time at Old Trafford is at risk of coming to an end, with reports now linking forwards from across Europe to replace him.

According to L’Equipe, Manchester United are keen on signing PSG forward Randal Kolo Muani in the January transfer window, with a loan with an option to buy deal being touted.

Sky Sports Germany report that Kolo Muani is no longer a part of PSG manager Luis Enrique’s plans, with the French side ready to let him leave.

Having started just two games in all competitions for PSG this season, Kolo Muani’s game time with the Parisian’s has been extremely limited. Though he’s made 14 appearances in total, with two goals and an assist coming in that time, the 26-year-old has been increasingly fazed out of the team, playing just 78 total minutes since the start of November.

Kolo Muani would fit in well to Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 formation at Manchester United, with his ability to play as both a central striker and a wide forward lending itself well to any of the forward positions in the starting XI.

Despite Kolo Muani’s contract still having three years left to run, and the fact he moved to PSG in the summer of 2023 for more than £75m, Transfermarkt values him at just £25m. That cost is something much more closely aligned with the transfer fee Manchester United would look to pay, too, when considering their desire to stick within the parameters of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.

In FourFourTwo‘s view, it would represent astute business to bring in Kolo Muani in the January transfer window, especially on a loan with an option to buy. If he fails to perform at Old Trafford then there’s no obligation to make the move permenant, while Manchester United have signed a few loans in recent years – Marcel Sabitzer, Wout Weghorst, Sofyan Amrabat – highlighting the club is open to all manner of deals.

An unconvincing Manchester City looked to be on course for victory in the Manchester derby on Sunday afternoon, only to end up losing 2-1 in the final few minutes. That was City’s eighth defeat in their past 11 games in all competitions.

Guardiola was clear on who he blamed after the game, telling BBC Sport: « I am not good enough. I am the boss. I am the manager. I have to find solutions and so far I haven’t. That’s the reality.”

For the first time, questions are being asked about Guardiola’s future for all the wrong reasons. How valid are those questions – and can he fix City’s issues if he does stay?

Could Pep Guardiola quit Manchester City?

Guardiola was very clear that he has absolutely no intention of quitting ahead of City’s loss to Manchester United.

Asked at his pre-match press conference if he had any regrets over signing a contract extension through to 2027, Guardiola said: “Absolutely not.

“I would not be able to sleep – even worse than now – if I thought I was leaving when the club is in this situation. Impossible. They might sack me, that could happen. But leaving now, in this position? No chance.”

If that’s the case now, it seems unlikely that things getting worse might prompt a change of heart – and if things get better, then surely he would want to be the one to lead their revival?

Could Manchester City sack Pep Guardiola?

Guardiola’s own position seems pretty solid, but what about the Manchester City board? How far does his banked good faith extend, and at what point do they start to doubt whether he’s the man to turn them around?

At the moment it still seems ludicrously premature to dismiss the greatest manager of his generation, but the question is how long they would allow this awful run to go on before they start giving it consideration.

It’s hard to know the answer to that, because Guardiola has never been in this position before. This is the worst run of his managerial career by some distance, and so these kinds of questions were never asked of him at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, or at any point in his previous eight years at Manchester City.

There’s a reason Guardiola is ranked at no.5 in FourFourTwo’s list of the greatest managers ever.

City have only missed out on the title twice before under Guardiola: in his first season, when the club still weren’t automatically expected to sit top of the table, and then again in 2019/20, when Liverpool were simply unstoppable.

That season, City lost more than usual – nine times in the league – but won the next game every single time they dropped points; it was a case of bad days more than an extended malaise. They are already halfway to exceeding their tally for defeats from that season with more than half the season still to play.

The contract extension only complicates matters further, making it more expensive to get rid of Guardiola than the relatively minor sum they would have otherwise had to pay out.

We would note, however, that the current City regime have only ever changed manager mid-season once before, and that was to dismiss the manager they inherited upon taking over in September 2008. Even then, they gave Mark Hughes over a year more in charge before replacing him with their own man, Roberto Mancini, in December 2009.

That makes it feel like even in a worst-case scenario, City’s track record suggests they would wait until the end of the season before making a decision. Even then, they will be cognisant that their issues cannot entirely be laid at Guardiola’s feet.

If Pep Guardiola isn’t the problem at Manchester City, what is?

Losing Ballon d’Or winner Rodri has been massive, of course, leaving City far more prone to getting caught on the counter-attack and removing a lot of their famous composure and poise on the ball. Any club would miss a player ranked at no.1 in FourFourTwo’s list of the best players in the world right now

But it’s become startlingly evident over the past few weeks that the issues extend far beyond the loss of their talismanic midfielder. Watching City labour through the Manchester derby seemingly content to try and keep the game at 1-0 – despite Manchester United not exactly being in the best way themselves at the moment – was bizarre.

As the United game confirmed, one of the main issues is that City are relying on too many players whose best days now look to be behind them.

Kyle Walker’s decline had been noted for some time last season and throughout the Euros, and he has carried that patchy form into the new campaign. City used to be able to take a lot more risks than most teams because they could rely on Walker to bail them out with his recoveries, but he has often been caught out of position and slightly lacking in the electric pace he has used so well throughout his career.

Kevin De Bruyne was a bit-part player until very late on last season, missing the first half the campaign injured and then finding good form after being gradually phased back into the squad – but he has looked a shadow of himself this season. His deliveries into the box against United were woeful, with the only one that created a major chance – scored by Josko Gvardiol – only succeeding thanks to a massive deflection.

Ilkay Gundogan’s return from Barcelona was celebrated in the summer, but there should also have been red flags about City bringing back a 34-year-old midfielder they were happy enough to let leave only a year prior…to say nothing of Barcelona then being content to send him back. He has looked short of the required pace since coming back.

City have meanwhile struggled to get anything like their usual productivity off the wings: Their most productive winger has been Bernardo Silva, and even he has just one goal on top of his four assists in 21 appearances in the Premier League and Champions League this season.

Jeremy Doku has often flattered to deceive, Jack Grealish still doesn’t fit in, and while Savinho has shown some signs of promise, he is clearly not the finished article yet.

Other players in the squad – especially Phil Foden – simply look jaded, having barely missed a minute last season and then playing exhausting campaigns at the Euros or Copa America over the summer.

Add in Ederson’s loss of form, some injury issues, a sense that they may have lost a bit of that hunger after years of success, and some of their youngsters being short of first-team experience…City have allowed an awful lot of minor issues creep up on them all at once.

Can Pep Guardiola turn things around at Manchester City?

At the moment, this feels much more like the end of an era for this particular squad rather than necessarily being the end of the City epoch as a whole.

These kinds of issues can happen. Sir Alex Ferguson was famed for his ability to keep building up multiple generations of title-winning squads at Manchester United, but while he never had a run quite as bad as this after his first few years at the club, even he needed a bit of a transitional year or two at times.

United went three straight years without a title in the mid 2000s as they dealt with gradual decline and departure of much of the 1999 treble-winning squad, but in that time introduced the likes of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra and Edwin van der Sar, who would go on to be the cornerstones of arguably Ferguson’s greatest Manchester United side of all.

City now feel like they are in a similar position – including having a manager reputed as the best in the world. The question is whether City or Guardiola have the patience to see out that kind of rebuilding project together.