Premier League Ponderings: The case of Manchester City - The struggle is real, but whose fault is it?
It was only seven years ago that
Manchester City was on the verge
of financial collapse under the precarious
ownership of disgraced former
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra. Stuck firmly in midtable
and less than a decade in the
Premier League without suffering
relegation, the team was a shade of
the side that it is today. Under the
stewardship of the Abu Dabhi United
Group, the club has since won
two Premier League titles and boast
one of the strongest and most expensive
squads in the country.
Despite all these advantages, the defending champions of England have found themselves in a nosedive since the turn of the year. The team's only won four matches since January, losing what seemed to be an iron clad grip on second place, dropping to fourth behind Arsenal and Manchester United. The dream of defending the title seem all bust lost, with nine points separating them from Chelsea at the top, a gap that is logically unsurmountable with only seven matches remaining in the season.
Watching a team with the likes of Yaya Touré and Sergio Agüero struggle to draw against the likes of Hull City and Everton and losing to relegation threatened Burnley begs the question of just what the hell is going on behind the scenes.
Generally, such crises are blamed on a new manager imposing his style or new starting 11 players who are struggling to gel with an established squad, but City cannot use either of these as an excuse. Manuel Pellegrini won the title in his first season. Sure, last season was an odd one, but he still managed to beat Liverpool and Chelsea to the top while setting a new record for goals scored in a season. Coming into a new year having not lost any key players — and a few minor additions — everyone expected them to be fighting to the end.
Some quarters have looked to blame the absence of Touré, as the crucial midfielder was missing for a month to compete and win the African Cup of Nations, but the major slump started after he had returned. The team managed to do quite well in his absence, and he was in the team for the most recent surprise losses.
The most obvious answer for their struggles is their relative inactivity during the last two transfer windows. While Chelsea and Arsenal were adding the likes of Diego Costa and Alexis Sanchez to their ranks, City spent $55.7 million (£ 30 million) on Eliaquim Mangala, who is looking to be an extraordinary flop in his first year. When the best addition to the side is the loan signing of a 34-year-old midfielder, Frank Lampard, something in the transfer process is seriously broken. The signing of Wilfried Bony in January screamed of damage control, but he has only managed to find the net once since his arrival.
With the title seemingly gone, eyes will be turned to how the board reacts and treats the manager. The heads of the club are not known to take disappointment lightly and could be eyeing up a replacement manager even as the season goes on.
Despite all these advantages, the defending champions of England have found themselves in a nosedive since the turn of the year. The team's only won four matches since January, losing what seemed to be an iron clad grip on second place, dropping to fourth behind Arsenal and Manchester United. The dream of defending the title seem all bust lost, with nine points separating them from Chelsea at the top, a gap that is logically unsurmountable with only seven matches remaining in the season.
Watching a team with the likes of Yaya Touré and Sergio Agüero struggle to draw against the likes of Hull City and Everton and losing to relegation threatened Burnley begs the question of just what the hell is going on behind the scenes.
Generally, such crises are blamed on a new manager imposing his style or new starting 11 players who are struggling to gel with an established squad, but City cannot use either of these as an excuse. Manuel Pellegrini won the title in his first season. Sure, last season was an odd one, but he still managed to beat Liverpool and Chelsea to the top while setting a new record for goals scored in a season. Coming into a new year having not lost any key players — and a few minor additions — everyone expected them to be fighting to the end.
Some quarters have looked to blame the absence of Touré, as the crucial midfielder was missing for a month to compete and win the African Cup of Nations, but the major slump started after he had returned. The team managed to do quite well in his absence, and he was in the team for the most recent surprise losses.
The most obvious answer for their struggles is their relative inactivity during the last two transfer windows. While Chelsea and Arsenal were adding the likes of Diego Costa and Alexis Sanchez to their ranks, City spent $55.7 million (£ 30 million) on Eliaquim Mangala, who is looking to be an extraordinary flop in his first year. When the best addition to the side is the loan signing of a 34-year-old midfielder, Frank Lampard, something in the transfer process is seriously broken. The signing of Wilfried Bony in January screamed of damage control, but he has only managed to find the net once since his arrival.
With the title seemingly gone, eyes will be turned to how the board reacts and treats the manager. The heads of the club are not known to take disappointment lightly and could be eyeing up a replacement manager even as the season goes on.
