The realisation has been stark, the wounds deep; for quite some while now. Manchester City are no longer the champions of England! ‘The Reds’ from Merseyside have dethroned them. In spectacular fashion at that! The aura of invincibility that accompanied the City team has been blown away by the cold, chilly winds of Liverpool. What remains, is an able group with an equally able manager, who have been left chasing shadows.

Pep Guardiola and his men have their task cut-out. The knockout punch from Liverpool has been firm and hard to take. But the time for action is now. Pep needs to go back to the tactic board and rework a few key details. Here is a look at the areas which Manchester City need to sort out, to come back a stronger team next season.

End on a high

One of the perks of managing a club like Manchester City is that there is no dearth of opportunities. Pep had conceded in press conferences and interviews that the Premier League race is all but over. City, however, find themselves in FA Cup Semis, enjoy an away lead in UCL round of 16 to Real Madrid and have secured the Carabao Cup. If City can finish strongly in these three, coupled with a resilient display in the remaining 7 fixtures of Premier League, it would be a fair reparation for letting the league slip out of their hands. Champions League, in particular, would be Pep’s priority. With the club handed a two-season ban from the competition, and their appeal yet to be heard by CAS, this could be the last shot City have at the elite trophy in some while.  

Transfers

This, perhaps, is one area where Manchester City need no guidance. If spending money was an art, Manchester City would be Michelangelo. They’ve proven it time and again. Pep would certainly want his rich Arab bosses to roll some moolah into the transfer market, yet again.

Since the resumption of Premier League, post the coronavirus lockdown, Manchester City have launched a campaign – We’re not really here – based on the iconic chant sung by City fans since long, to show support for their players. The same phrase could be used by City’s defence this season – We’re not really here. With Aymeric Laporte injured for a major part of the season and Kompany leaving the club last summer, City’s defensive frailties came to the fore. On occasions, it has been absolute shambles. Fernandinho has tried his best in his new makeshift role, but he has had no help from the other end. Stones and Otamendi have regularly struggled to make an impact and maintain a prolonged and firm spot in the team. Manchester City have already conceded 33 goals this season, with 7 games remaining. During the last two seasons, this number has been 23 and 27, respectively. Hence, signing a centre-back will be the topmost priority for the club. They have even been linked to Napoli player Koulibali. Though, the young Eric Garcia has shown promise; securing a centre-back, will undoubtedly, strengthen Pep’s team to a greater extent.  

Another post that City need to fill-in next season is the one vacated by David Silva. Silva has, inarguably, been a stalwart for the City team. Even before Pep’s arrival. He has orchestrated the team with his sumptuous, one-touch, accurate passing. It would be quite a challenge to replace someone with as immaculate a vision as David Silva. Many consider Phil Foden to be the natural replacement. And the 20-year-old Mancunian has indeed justified the faith shown in him. But not signing a midfielder will leave their midfield down to bare bones. The only midfielders remaining in the squad will be Rodri, Gundogan, De Bruyne and Foden. This thin a line-up, will not bode well in a gruelling season, where teams are required to play 3 games a week, and injuries constantly trouble players. Moreover, Pep’s fascination with constantly rotating his team would certainly entice City to buy a central midfielder.

Choosing a Captain

A leader like Vicent Kompany comes once in a generation, the man who saw the charge of Manchester City, as they established themselves as a powerhouse in football. He won four Premier Leagues with City. Naturally, his departure has left a void that will be hard to fill. Silva was given the captain’s armband and rightly so, but he too, is on his way out. This leaves a dilemma for Pep, to select a player who can lead the team on their way to recovery. Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling are the natural candidates. Sterling has failed to maintain a level consistency on the pitch, while Aguero has had his troubles off the field. Kevin De Bruyne is the perfect solution. The Belgian has had a terrific, personal-best season and would surely love to don the armband. He is at the peak of his career and is a player his teammates can look up to. De Bruyne has all the abilities to lead the team from the heart of the midfield.

Consistency

This is the area, Pep would grievously want to work on. Manchester City has simply been inconsistent this season. No number of signings can work if the players who are not a part of the team do not contribute. Right from defence to attack, City players have let themselves and their team down. Raheem Sterling, who had established himself as a prolific goalscorer, in the previous seasons, has failed to keep up with that reputation. He not only scored, but created chances for his teammates as well. This season though, time and again, Sterling has been a tad selfish and failed to recognise players in better scoring chances. In the last 2 seasons, Sterling managed 15 and 13 assists, respectively. This season, the number has fallen to 4.

Another City player who needs to step up is Bernardo Silva. He has managed a paltry tally of 6 goals and 8 assists this season. His campaign took a turn for the worse after he was accused of passing racial slurs to teammate Benjamin Mendy, for which he was banned for a couple of games. In the past seasons, Bernardo used to come on as an impact substitution, and find wins for his team. His inability to replicate that has been an added burden on Pep.

And as almost every football pundit has advised, City’s defensive line-up needs to find its feet. And not just the centre-backs, but the full-backs as well. Apart from Walker, every City full-back has struggled with some issue or the other. Cancelo has still not earned Pep’s full faith, Mendy has struggled with a recurring knee injury, and Zinchenko has struggled to establish his place in the team. To make a formidable starting line-up, the defence has to step up and become the backbone of the team.

The clock is ticking. Manchester City need to find solutions. The goliath-like team that Liverpool have built, has the potential to create a hegemony and rule English football for the next decade. City would be the favourites to break that. They have experience of winning, they will have the world-class players they need, and they have a manager who can deliver. If the resources are channeled in the right direction, it won’t be long before we see Manchester City back at the pinnacle of English football.

“He’s our centre half, he’s our number four;
We watch him defend, we watch him score;
He’ll pass the ball, calm as you like;
He’s Virgil Van Dijk”
These are the lyrics that echo around every nook and corner of Anfield and the city of Liverpool. Such has been the impact; the talismanic Dutch centre-half has had on the Reds. With his ratings rising steadfast, Van Dijk is being compared to few of the finest defenders to have graced the Premier League: the likes of; John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

 But are these comparisons justified? Is Virgil Van Dijk really that good?

With their coffers full from the Coutinho sale, Liverpool lavishly spent on a centre-back, acquiring the Dutch defender for a fee of £75 million. A record, that was broken eventually by Mr. ‘Slabhead’ Maguire. A price-tag such as that surely comes with a baggage of expectations. Taking recent examples in the world of football, big money signings have struggled under that pressure. Be it Neymar at PSG, Coutinho and Dembele at Barcelona or more recently Nicolas Pepe at Arsenal, all big money signings have been plagued by issues ranging from injuries to lack of morale and confidence.

But Liverpool on the other hand, have gotten themselves a player worth every last penny. Van Dijk over the past two seasons has been stellar. He has been composed under pressure and has earned the right to don the captain’s armband. His rise at the club level, has been paralleled with the national team as well. At hindsight, we can say that him and Alisson were the final clogs in the machinery that Jurgen Klopp had been building over the past couple of seasons. Van Dijk has been a pivotal piece of the juggernaut that has steamrolled the Premier League this season. His focused, laser-sharp defending coupled with his aerial abilities has been a menace for almost every team Liverpool has faced. Add to this, his long-range passing ability. Virgil Van Dijk is a complete package, without even the slightest of doubt.

The fans have showered him with admiration and appreciation, and rightly so. But at the same time, there is a faction overpraising VVD, and in process undermining the contribution of the other players. What Liverpool are today – a well oiled machinery – is a result of top notch performances from not only Van Dijk but also TAA, Henderson, Alisson and their electrifying front three. But such overpraising, from football communities the world over, has started a chain of discussion claiming that Virgil Van Dijk belongs to the top rung of defenders who have played in the Premier League in the recent times i.e. Terry, Vidic and Ferdinand.

 Such claims might be a bit unwarranted.

Virgil Van Dijk may be head and shoulders above all current defenders in the league, but he is yet to match the names mentioned above, which also includes players like Sol Campbell, Jap Stam and Vincent Kompany. Some of these names have been the personification of dominance over the past years.
The Duo, Vidic and Ferdinand, were a part of the Manchester United team that had absolutely annihilated the Premier League for an entire decade, winning 3 back to back Premier League titles, twice! Ferdinand in particular, was exceptional with his feet, building play from the back – a trait that is extremely desirable from a centre back in the modern game. Going a bit further in United’s past, Jap Stam was another stellar figure in the heart of the team’s defence and a member of the famous treble winning side of 1998/99.
 But inarguably, the leader of the lot has to be John Terry. Despite having a notorious image off the field, JT never let that weigh him down on the field. He was a part of the Mourinho side that redefined the Premier League; winning successive titles with a game-changing 4-3-3 formation. A formation which has now become a standard approach for almost every manager. JT continued his dominance post Mourinho’s tenure, winning a domestic double under Ancelotti and the much-coveted Champions League trophy in 2012. All these milestones while leading the pack from the front. By the time Terry retired from the game, he was the league’s highest scoring defender as well as had the most clean-sheets. In 2011, he was third on the list of passing accuracy with 91.6% accuracy, behind only Xavi. Dominant aerially and rock-solid on ground, it is only fair to say that Terry was who God produced, when the word ‘defender’ was mentioned to him.
Premier League, time and again, has been graced by such defensive spearheads.
 Another example is former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany, whose name is synonymous with perseverance. Signed by the club in 2008, Kompany was a part of City’s meteoric rise to the top of English football; as they stepped out of the shadow of their mighty Manchester rivals and went on to claim four titles in a span of seven seasons. He is the true embodiment of the phrase: ‘Captain. Leader. Legend.’ Perhaps, the only feather missing from his cap is the Champions League trophy, which has eluded City for long now, but Kompany was a gritty player nonetheless.

Another facet that sets these legends apart from others, is pedigree! The sheer number of trophies won by these players. Since ultimately, what fans want to see the most is their team win and stack up silver-ware. And though, Liverpool have been on the ascendancy for the past couple of seasons, one Champions League and one Premier League (despite it being the much sought after first title) are not enough to get you in the elite company.
These stalwarts simply show that what Van Dijk is currently doing, has been achieved by many prior to him and that too for a prolonged period of time.

Now, all of this does not to imply that Virgil Van Dijk is any less of a defender, or that he lacks the ability to be the best. In fact, VVD shows many traits, resembling to all these players during similar stages of their careers. But pitting Van Dijk, as phenomenal as he may be, against the likes of Terry and Ferdinand, just yet, is frivolous and childish.
To put it metaphorically, Van Dijk is in the middle of a marathon, one that his predecessors have already completed. It would be unfair to say that he cannot complete it, and at the same time rash to say that he’ll better the timing of the others before him. One can only know his greatness and legacy, for sure, when he will complete the marathon.

Until then, we fans can merely enjoy the stoic beauty that Van Dijk is while on the field.