“Are we trying to lose?”, “Not watching” – Manchester City fans raise their voice against Pep Guardiola for naming ‘selfish’ player in line-up for Southampton game

A section of Manchester City fans are not pleased to see Riyad Mahrez in the Cityzens' starting line-up to face Southampton in the Premier League.

Manchester City are set to play their ninth Premier League match of the season today (October 8). They will lock horns with 16th-placed Southampton at the Etihad Stadium this afternoon.

The Cityzens go into the match against Ralph Hasenhuttl's side on the back of good form. They are yet to taste defeat in the league, having won six and drawn two of their eight matches so far.

Pep Guardiola and Co. thus sit second in the league table and are just one point behind table-toppers Arsenal. They have also notably won each of their three UEFA Champions League matches so far.

Manchester City will thus go into their clash against Southampton with the hope of keeping their unbeaten run intact. However, some fans are concerned the record will come to an end today due to the presence of one man in the starting XI.

Guardiola has opted to start Mahrez ahead of Jack Grealish in his team against the Saints, leaving the Cityzens supporters frustrated. Some fans have even taken to Twitter to question the Spanish tactician:

One frustrated fan wrote:

"Why is Mahrez starting, are we trying to lose?"

Another Manchester City fan wrote:

"Mahrez playing? Not watching."

One fan raised concerns about Mahrez's alleged tendency to keep playing back passes, writing:

"I hope Mahrez does something today and not just pass the ball backwards all the time."

It now remains to be seen if Mahrez can prove his doubters wrong by producing a good performance against Southampton today.

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How has Mahrez fared for Manchester City?

Mahrez has played 11 games across all competitions for Manchester City so far this season. However, six of those appearances have notably come from the bench.

The Algeria international has scored and assisted a goal each for Guardiola's side in those matches. It is worth noting, though, that both those goal contributions came in the team's 5-0 win against Copenhagen in the Champions League this week.

Mahrez has been a regular for the Cityzens since joining them from Leicester City for £60 million in 2018. He has made 200 appearances across all competitions for the club, contributing to 111 goals in the process.

The winger has also helped the Manchester outfit win nine trophies during his four years at the club. However, he has failed to nail down a place in Guardiola's preferred starting XI over the years.