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

#5 Excessive squad rotation could lead to City's downfall

Ederson has hit the ground running but has not been well protected by the changing defenders ahead of him

Manchester City may be Europe's best team in the final third this season, but they are far from assured on the defensive end. Currently, this weakness hasn't been exposed because of their ability to outscore their opponents, but they cannot sustain with the same approach throughout the course of the season.

Against a West Brom side that scored only seven goals prior to the game, City surprisingly shipped in two goals. Tony Pulis' side, despite having a defensive approach, managed to breach the defense of a team that's challenging heavily for the league. If Guardiola wants a smooth pathway to the trophy, he needs to sort out his ever-changing defense and ensure bringing in a few players in the summer.

His excessive rotation policy is a cause of concern. To put this into perspective, let us consider Chelsea's team last season. They kept the third most consistent team that year to win the title, while Leicester in 2015/16 and the City of 2013/14 made the fewest changes to their starting eleven to do the same.

Thus, if City are to remain unbeaten through the league, they will have to find a set of 11-13 top-class players that can get the job done week in and week out this season. Also, if the last few years are anything to go by, the side that has possessed one of the strongest defenses has usually gone on to win the league.