Pep Guardiola finally conceded that the Premier League was tougher than he previously anticipated. But maybe he wouldn't have made that claim had he inherited a squad capable of competing for top honours.
With the oldest average squad in the top six of the Premier League, it's clear Pep Guardiola needs young blood – especially at the back. But these are just some of the problems the Catalan has to address in the coming summer transfer window.
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While the window itself might help him properly plan out how he sees his squad and what it requires to compete for the title, there are other areas he needs to fix, too.
Here's looking at five crucial areas Pep Guardiola needs to focus on to ensure Manchester City can fight for the 2017/18 Premier League title:
#5 Get back to basics
Manchester City looked incredible early in this Premier League season but have since faded off and are now a whole 12 points behind leaders Chelsea. A lot of could be attributed to injuries and suspensions but there's something about the way Pep Guardiola is asking them to play that doesn't seem to be working out.
Even though he has players like Ilkay Gundagon, Yaya Toure, David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne, his side still seem vulnerable on the counter and that never happened with either of his former two sides, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
While teams take time to adjust to a manager's new system, Manchester City are taking longer than usual and Pep needs to get his side back to basics. Passing into space, running off the ball and threading balls don't seem to be clicking for his side.
Addressing those three issues could make life easier for Pep. With the right kind of additions, they'll finally look like a side capable of adapting to the passing game.
#4 Adios to Claudio
He was seen as someone who could come in and show the rest how it could be done, but instead, Claudio Bravo has been anything but his second name suggests. The Chilean is a fine goalkeeper and he's proven that with his stint with Barcelona but he's tanked at Manchester City and needs a move away.
Pep got rid of Joe Hart because he thought the Englishman was incapable of playing as a sweeper-keeper. But the now-Torino keeper would have saved the kind of close-range shots Bravo has faced this season. Having conceded 12 goals in the 15 shots he's faced in the Premier League alone, Bravo is far from the kind of form that upped his reputation and earned his move to both Barcelona and Manchester City.
There are a host of fine goalkeepers in the world who can play in Pep's system. The best choice is still probably Hugo Lloris – Manuel Neuer barring – but the Tottenham Hotspur man will not come cheap.
#3 Reduce the average age of the midfield
Manchester City might have some of the most exciting young talents in the game but they're outnumbered by players well above 30. Out of the 24-man squad registered with the FA for this season - post-January - there are 12 players in the squad who are over 30, and for a title-challenging squad, that number isn't advisable.
Jesus Navas, Nolito, David Silva, Fernandinho, and Yaya Toure are all 30 and over and given they form the crux of the midfield in the biggest of matches, Pep needs to address the issue and bring in someone younger who can build on what he’s trying to bring about in the squad.
The team have achieved a lot together but having aged since those days, need to be the kind the manager is able to bring on only when needed. Given they won’t be spending a lot more time with the club – especially under Pep – he needs to start making changes right away.
#2 Wanted: Mobile full-backs
Bacary Sagna, Aleksandar Kolarov, Gael Clichy and Pablo Zabaleta are all excellent full-backs and amongst the best we’ve ever seen in the Premier League. But the issue with all four of them is that they’re all either 31 or above.
It’s true Manchester City and Pep Guardiola failed to lure Hector Bellerin away from Arsenal in the summer. The 21-year-old would’ve been a great signing, given he’s easily the best young full-back in the world currently.
But Pep has a Plan B and that seems to be his former star, Juan Bernat. The left-back at Bayern Munich hasn’t been getting much game time under Carlo Ancelotti and could switch the Allianz Arena for the Etihad in the summer for a modest fee. He’s only one of four full-backs the Catalan will need to bring in, however.
It’s a start and it could pave the way for the club to poach some highly-rated full-backs from within the English footballing ecosystem.
#1 Give it time
The biggest difference with Pep Guardiola managing Manchester City when compared to Bayern Munich and Barcelona is that the league he’s in isn’t a two-horse race and he needs his time to fine tune his squad to the challenge.
At Barcelona, he had the best squad and Lionel Messi. At Bayern Munich, he inherited a squad that had just won the treble and had Thomas Muller, David Alaba and Jerome Boateng – three young stars waiting to explode at the same time he arrived.
Manchester City have been great in recent years but with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham all gaining strength, they seem to have fallen behind a little. Pep needs time to make them winners. He knows how to handle a championship winning team and at City, he has the chance to do so again.
