The Premier League is back and how will Alexander Isak fit in at Liverpool? 

But perhaps the biggest question hanging in the air is: Can Manchester City reverse their limp start to the season?

Many anticipated that Pep Guardiola’s squad would overcome last year’s challenges and immediately begin displaying City’s captivating—and often overwhelming—style of play.

Heading into a derby with the unpredictably inconsistent Manchester United, we posed a straightforward question to our football writers: What has surprised you most about Manchester City’s struggles this season?

Manchester City have lost two of their opening three Premier League games this season

City is set to face off against rivals Manchester United, and in light of that, we asked our reporters what has been the most surprising aspect of Pep Guardiola’s team so far, as they prepare for the derby.

Matt Barlow

At their peak, Pep’s City was synonymous with maintaining control. They were so precisely orchestrated, they managed to regulate a football match as completely as any modern team could. They dominated possession and ruled the ball. When they lost it, they quickly regained control or disrupted play to reorganize before conceding, sometimes to the point of the game becoming uninteresting to watch.

This aura vanished for a considerable part of last season.

Like many others, I expected this to resume with the new season. The absence of it is the most startling aspect. Their ability to control the game seems to have slipped. From a neutral standpoint, this makes their matches more engaging and highlights how challenging it is to achieve total dominance in top-flight football. It requires numerous elements working coherently.

Rodri’s absence has been a significant issue, compounded by the diminishing roles of Kevin de Bruyne and Ederson. Although Rodri has returned from injury, the other two have left, disrupting the perfect balance necessary for their intended style of play. Achieving that balance involves more than simply swapping one player for another, and with limited preparation time following the Club World Cup, perhaps it shouldn’t be so surprising.

They will have to fathom out a solution as they go and with a congested schedule ahead it might take time but I would be most shocked if they are not in the top four at the end of the season.

Losing Rodri to injury last season was a major reason why Man City lost their ‘aura’

Ian Herbert

I’ve been shocked by Pep Guardiola’s apparent acceptance of how poor they’ve been.

As a manager whose players have always found themselves ostracised by Guardiola the minute he’d decided they weren’t doing it for him, his apparent acceptance of the poor marking and pressing in post-match interviews suggests that he’s lost just as much intensity as they have.

His talk after the defeat at home to Spurs was so far removed from what we’ve come to expect in him. ‘It happens sometimes against Spurs. They punish us always in that position in one action. We have to play in different way to the way we play.’ 

Yes, there have been many personnel changes and City are adapting to that. But shouldn’t they know how they need to play? Isn’t that something Guardiola drums into them? 

It was so surprising to hear him speak that way after a desultory home defeat to Spurs at the start of what is supposed to be the season when his once imperious team prove that the struggles of the last campaign were only a blip.

It’s hard to avoid the impression that some of the light has gone out on Guardiola, with his great friend, compatriot and mentor Txiki Begiristain now gone. Is the seemingly never-ending shadow of the 130 charges City face a contributing factor to him seeming to have lost some of his legendary intensity? It is impossible to know for sure – but perhaps. 

Though he continues publicly to defend the club against allegations of financial impropriety, a negative outcome in that case would be a stain on all that he has achieved at City. For most professionals in his position, a shadow on the wall like that would certainly take a toll after so long.

It’s been surprising to see Pep Guardiola’s apparent acceptance of how poor City have been

Lewis Steele

Anyone who is shocked by the early-season performances clearly did not watch them last year. Manchester City thrashed Wolves 4-0 on the opening day and we all thought they were back… then two defeats (featuring the annual loss to Tottenham) and, wow, everyone seems surprised by it.

There have been positive signs in both defeats and I don’t think it is time to have a whole root-and-branch review, though I would not feel optimistic going into the Manchester derby if I were a City fan.

The main thing City are lacking is that player who can take a tight game by the scruff of its neck and win it, like a Kevin De Bruyne magic moment, a Phil Foden (remember him?) goal from nowhere, even a Riyad Mahrez or Bernardo Silva or Rodri bolt from the blue. They are lacking that at the moment and I also think the squad lacks leaders.

Injuries are also a problem. Is John Stones EVER fully fit and where is Josko Gvardiol? Rayan Cherki and Omar Marmoush, two bright sparks, are both out, while Rodri is clearly not there yet. Without these, Erling Haaland is not getting the service he needs and Pep Guardiola’s men are struggling.

One more thing. We pretty much know what we will get this year with Liverpool and Arsenal, the main title rivals. For City, there are too many question marks. If they all have positive answers, they can do it — but there seems too many ifs, buts and maybes.

Can Foden rediscover his best form and fitness? Will Rodri be back to anywhere near his best? How much influence can young star Oscar Bobb have? Will Gigi Donnarumma fit in as a No 1? How will the other new signings fare? Can Haaland contribute more? Will Ruben Dias and Co be better defensively? Can they win a league without a recognised right back?

You see. The list goes on but thankfully for you readers, this rant does not go on.

Man City are missing the magic moments that Kevin De Bruyne so often provided before he left after last season

Jack Gaughan

The biggest surprise? The complete change in energy from the open training session we witnessed, and then the 4-0 victory at Wolves, to that listless defeat at Brighton before the international break. 

There didn’t seem a great deal of ideas from those on the pitch or in the dugout as Brighton swarmed all over them in scenes reminiscent to the defeat at the Amex Stadium last season.

It had become clear during the Club World Cup and in the truncated pre-season that Pep Guardiola had been re-energised with new coaches – notably Pep Lijnders – but the performance down at Brighton, following on from Tottenham, saw him pretty browbeaten already.

In that sense, the internationals probably came at a good time for City, who have now resolved the futures of the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and Manuel Akanji in what now looks a more streamlined squad – without passengers with no prospect of featuring.

This injection of new signings, at significant expense, ought to have provided them with more of a boost than it has up until this point. But then a Manchester derby at home is the perfect opportunity to turn the tide.

The lack of energy in City’s performance at Brighton is what has been the biggest surprise 

Nathan Salt

The truth is Manchester City lost their fear factor a while back.

I have sat in many an opposition manager’s press conference after a defeat to Manchester City where they would concede, in a roundabout way, that Plan A was to try and keep the damage to a minimum.

Teams don’t fear City now – and they shouldn’t. They lack cohesion and look more like a side dependent on individual moments of brilliance than ever before.

Go back to December 21, 2024, after a 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa with Manchester City down in sixth, nine points behind Liverpool and having played two games more.

Asked what was going wrong then, Pep Guardiola quipped: ‘We struggle to score and we concede goals.’

This is City’s roughest run in a decade, basically since Guardiola arrived in 2016.

Defensively they look uncertain, while in attack they are struggling to put teams away.

Omar Marmoush is injured, as is summer signing Rayan Cherki. They sold Julian Alvarez back in 2024, let Kevin De Bruyne leave for Napoli in the summer, have Phil Foden struggling for fitness and are relying on the, largely unreliable, goal returns of Savinho, Jeremy Doku and Bernardo Silva to plug gaps.

Manchester City could comfortably beat Manchester United on Sunday and ease the critique for a day or two. But United won’t fear City, neither will Napoli a few days later, or Arsenal the following weekend.

Sixty five points from their last 38 Premier League matches tells us all that City have underperformed for some time, only now it’s smacking us right in the face.