5 reasons why Manchester City cannot emulate the Arsenal Invincibles this season

#2 Lacking depth on the defensive front

Vincent Kompany has been missed by City this season

Guardiola may have replaced the aging trio of Pablo Zabaleta, Aleksander Kolarov and Gael Clichy at full-back by Danilo Luiz da Silva, Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy, but his defensive options are still limited. While Fabian Delph has performed well as a makeshift left-back, he certainly cannot be considered as a long-term option.

At centre-back, Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones may have been a shade better than what they were last season, but City's recent game against West Brom showcased the glaring flaws in their defense.

To deputize for the duo, City's only out-and-out first-team option is Elaquim Mangala - who had a nightmare of a performance in his Carabao Cup performance against Wolves. Captain Vincent Kompany is reeling from yet another injury and it is getting hard for Guardiola to find a stable pair at centre-back.

Unless Guardiola uses the January window to rope in a couple of defenders at the very least, it may be hard for City to sustain their unbeaten run in their Premier League fixtures come March, when the league and UCL schedules are jam-packed.