‘I give you this week to pack your things and leave ‘: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has officially told Two Manchester City FLOP players to leave this week or His contract will be terminated just as He did to the likes of Cancelo and Zinchenko

A BBC pundit criticises the £180,000-per-week salary. Manchester City’s star after Villa defeat Manchester City lost 1-0 at Aston Villa, producing one of the club’s poorest displays since Pep Guardiola took over.

After draws against Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur, City fans were eager to see their team return to winning ways in the Midlands.

But when City arrived at Villa Park, they were completely outplayed.

Unai Emery’s team was superior across the board, and Pep Guardiola just didn’t have a solution. Josko Gvardiol struggled against Leon Bailey, and City never really got a hold of the game and couldn’t break Villa down.

The analysis of yesterday’s play and result has begun, and some have referred to the midfield arrangement as a reason for City’s struggles.

Martin Keown believes Manuel Akanji did not look at ease against Aston Villa.

Rodri was suspended for the visitors in last night’s game, and it proved to be a costly decision.

City never had any sort of control over the game, with John Stones and Manuel Akanji holding midfield.

This season, Akanji has been utilised in this role multiple times, and it’s been a mixed bag for the Switzerland international.

However, he was all over the place last night, with Keown noting on Match of the Day: “Akanji in midfield didn’t look comfortable.” Do you want him in the backfield?

“Have they lost that sprinkling of magic?” Do you remember how they used to simply dominate games, blowing you away no matter what you threw at them? They now appear fragile, with no wins in four games, as compared to previous seasons. This would have to be considered a mini-crisis for Pep.”

The verdict on Manuel Akanji playing midfield is yet out.
City had such a bad night yesterday night, with no player claiming credit for a decent performance.

Although Akanji struggled, so did the rest of his colleagues.

The £180,000-a-week man has been a great buy for City since joining from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2022, but the judgement is yet out on his ability to play this hybrid role.

He is not as physically strong as Stones and does not move as gracefully.

He is, however, a fantastic ball-playing defender, and one wonders how much longer he will continue to play further up.