Manchester City are on their worst losing run since 2018, with three straight defeats, but is their downturn in form down solely to injuries or should they be performing better?
Ex-City midfielder Michael Brown tells The Football News Show why the absence of Rodri and Kevin de Bruyne has been felt harder than their injury problems in defence.
Watch the full episode of The Football News Show on BBC iPlayer
Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter
Sometimes Manchester City boss can be quite chatty at his news conferences.
On other occasions, he can be a bit grumpy to start with but then get more expressive as the conference carries on.
Today he was just grumpy.
At short notice, Pep Guardiola delayed his press conference by half an hour, with no subsequent explanation or apology for why.
He started with a one-word answer to my first question about whether he was going to Abu Dhabi during the November international break - his last two contract extensions were agreed when he was there.
He was little better in confirming Jack Grealish was not fit for the trip to Brighton, despite being picked by England yesterday, and he continued in that vein.
Guardiola has never suffered four straight defeats in his entire managerial career. His mood will not be any better if that scenario becomes reality at Amex Stadium tomorrow.
Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Brighton (kick-off 17:30 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Jack Grealish is not available for Saturday's game despite being called up to the England squad by interim boss Lee Carsley.
On why he has been picked for international duty if not fit: "That is the question for the manager of England."
Guardiola said he will not travel to Abu Dhabi during the break for contract talks with the owners.
Giving an update on team news: "No good news. The same, I think, as Lisbon."
On losing three games in a row: "20 minutes against Fulham were not good and against Bournemouth we were not good, but the rest of the games we were good. We are good. We will see what happens."
He disagreed that Bernardo Silva appeared to look down following the defeat at Sporting and added: "Of course, we are not used to losing three games in three different competitions -but it is football and it has happened."
More from Guardiola on their recent games: "We know the reason why we struggle but we are looking forward to this game and, after the international break, a few players will be back and recovered. All the little problems we have with players will be solved. I hope."
On opponents Brighton and boss Fabian Hurzeler: "I’m really impressed with the way they play. They had to make a lot of signings and he is doing an incredible job. They were outstanding against Liverpool but didn't get the result. They played really good. They always have been tough away or at home, since Graham Potter, and this will be no exception."
Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news
Listen to match commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live on Saturday
Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, 36, is prepared to take a pay cut to stay longer at Barcelona and his impressive form has seen the Catalan club cool any interest in Manchester City's 24-year-old Norway forward Erling Haaland. (Sport - in Spanish), external
AC Milan are ready to double the wages of Netherlands midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, 26, to ward off interest from Manchester City and Tottenham (Calciomercato - in Italian), external
Meanwhile, City are keeping an eye on Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, 30, although Bayern Munich are in pole position to sign the Turkey international. (Caughtoffside), external
Finally, Arsenal have held talks with the agents of Sporting forward Geovany Quenda, with the 17-year-old also a target for City, Manchester United and Liverpool. (Teamtalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for one thing involving Manchester City that people are not talking about but should be.
Here are some of your comments:
Steve: Ederson! As a City season ticket holder, I love the guy but I would like to know how many times the first shot on target for the opposition has been scored. It seems to happen so often! Is it a lack of concentration on his part or just bad luck?
Andrew: Centre-backs need to sit slightly deeper, ie just inside opponent's half rather than edge of the D. Less easy for opponents to fast break. Induces low block out by 15-20m hence more space for City to play crisp passes and operate between the lines. Love Dias but you really want Foden, Gundogan and De Bruyne taking shots from just outside the box.
Mat: City fans like myself who have supported the club since the early 90s don't see this as a "freefall" which has been mentioned in the media. We've just lost a few games and have injuries to key players ie Rodri. Pep will sort it out. We've been through much worse periods in our time. This is just a blip.
Dave: The loss of Rodri is huge. City will adapt and recover. We have done it before and we will do it again.
Image source, Getty ImagesEngland interim manager Lee Carsley expects Manchester City forward Jack Grealish to be available for the upcoming Nations League games against Greece and Republic of Ireland.
Grealish has not played for City since 20 October because of a groin injury.
"We are fully in contact with the medical staff and we expect Jack to be fit," said Carsley. "He's trained in the last couple of days so he'll come in, we'll assess him and make sure he's ready to play.
"I think he's an important player not just for this camp but for the future. He's a player who is great to coach and he's an infectious character throughout the changing room, on and off the pitch.
"You can see he enjoys playing for England so he's a player we wanted to give as long as we could."
Mike Minay
BBC Radio Manchester reporter
Image source, PA MediaThree defeats in a row for the first time since April 2018 has got everybody asking: "What's wrong at Manchester City?"
Is the squad too comfortable? Are some of the players too old? Has Pep Guardiola has enough? Why are there so many injuries?
Having spent many years talking to members of the squad in post-match interviews, there are some real born winners in that camp. Ruben Dias, Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Kyle Walker come to mind as those that not only show passion on the pitch, but how they talk generates belief. They do not settle and want to keep the trophy haul coming.
So, in terms of being comfortable, I would say no. Although Guardiola, after Tuesday's defeat in Lisbon, did raise the issue of "those who want to come with me, will".
Too old? Possibly. Not many, but clearly De Bruyne's body has suffered over the past two seasons and his game time has diminished. Walker looked short of pace against Antoine Semenyo in Saturday's loss to Bournemouth. That said, he had only trained for six minutes before that game according to Guardiola.
The manager seemed very resilient on Tuesday; quotes along the lines of wanting to fight, wanting the challenge. November is the month when, for the past two times, we have heard news of his contract extension. Maybe the question of whether he has had enough comes soon.
The fight will be interesting to see. City's weaknesses have been exposed in the past couple of games. With Bournemouth, it was all about pressing and keeping City in their own half. With Sporting it was all about the counter attack. Can Guardiola find a solution to these concerns?
Recently both Walker and Silva have told me injuries are not an excuse. The thing is, they are. Yes, City have a wealth of talent. But any squad would miss Walker, Stones, Dias, Nathan Ake, De Bruyne, Rodri, Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku. It's three-quarters of a full team. Some of those are returning but that is the extent it was at one point.
Even so, they are not fully fit. Walker has not had a full training session since the last international break. Ake is playing through a foot issue. The academy players have stepped up brilliantly, but experienced quality players just provide that extra edge.
I think the injuries are a big reason behind City's recent dip in form and after the international break it would be hoped many of those absentees can kick on.
Crisis? Far from it. But it is a little unsettling to see.
Listen to Total Sport on BBC Radio Manchester every weeknight at 18:00 and listen to every Manchester City game - home and away - live on BBC Radio Manchester.
Image source, PA MediaEngland interim manager Lee Carsley has named a 26-man squad for the upcoming Nations League games against Greece and Republic of Ireland.
Newcastle left-back Lewis Hall and Southampton centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis have received their first call-ups to the senior side, with Saints' Aaron Ramsdale one of three goalkeepers selected.
The only other uncapped player in the squad is Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones, while there is no place for Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers.
These will be Carsley's final two matches in charge before Thomas Tuchel becomes Gareth Southgate's full-time successor from 1 January.
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Southampton).
Defenders: Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Rico Lewis (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Lewis Hall (Newcastle), Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Southampton).
Midfielders: Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Angel Gomes (Lille), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Curtis Jones (Liverpool).
Forwards: Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham).
Image source, Getty ImagesInjuries are having a big impact at Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola has always made changes and rotated his squad but there was still a core group of players that played the majority of games. That included Rodri and Kevin de Bruyne.
All clubs at some point go through an injury crisis - we saw it at Newcastle last season and at Brentford where they had 10 players missing - but before you know it, you do not have time to be able to be the best version of yourself.
This is not an overall crisis for City by any means. It just feels like it because they have lost three games in a row.
If Liverpool had not had a near-perfect start, then City would still be at the top of the table.
It is just not what we are used to seeing from Guardiola's side. He is having to pick whoever is available rather than who will make the best team for each game. That is affecting the flow of their season.
Some players are back for a week and then out for a further two, so it is tough to say at this stage of the season which players are in really good form as a lot of them have not had the stability to play.
City can turn things around but it will be tough to do because while they are down, the other teams will be up and will recognise it is a good time to be playing them.
And, while still being a good team, it is not the best version that we have seen of them in recent years.
Nedum Onuoha was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford
What is it like when a new manager walks into the dressing room? Or when you move clubs and start playing for a new boss?
With Manchester United and England soon to be under the command of new managers, they are the topic for discussion on the latest episode of You'll Never Beat Kyle Walker on BBC Sounds.
The Manchester City full-back recalls hearing from Pep Guardiola for the first time after joining City from Tottenham in 2017: "He's got an aura about him that he carries and you're glued. You could sit him here and everybody would be fixated with what he's saying, because of what he's won and the players he's coached.
"You've listened to a certain voice for an amount of time with [Mauricio] Pochettino and to hear someone else talking - that's what grabbed me.
"It was his aura. I remember being sat in the auditorium and you're sat there, he's talking and it was like a film. It was like: 'Am I actually here listening to you talking your tactics with a group of players that were basically all superstars? Is this actually happening?'"
Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
Champions League pundit Stephen Warnock says Manchester City are "struggling for balance" without Rodri after the Premier League champions 4-1 loss to Sporting in the Champions League.
Watch the full Champions League show on BBC iPlayer
Manchester City suffered a Premier League wobble but remain within touching distance of the top.
In Europe, things got ugly at Sporting Lisbon.
There's plenty of the usual debate but we wondered what is the one thing nobody is talking about - good or bad - but should be?
Former Brighton manager Graham Potter says injuries could be "destabilising" Manchester City, despite boss Pep Guardiola not wanting to make them an excuse for his side's recent performances.
Manchester City fell to their third consecutive defeat in all competitions against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Tuesday, despite taking an early lead through Phil Foden.
Speaking on the latest episode of Planet Premier League, Potter said: "They don't want to make injuries an excuse - Pep will make an absolute effort not to and the players won't - but there is no Rodri, no [Jack] Grealish, no [John] Stones, no [Ruben] Dias and no [Kevin]De Bruyne.
"I know, from experience, how destabilising that is because it affects how you train and the mentality of the group. Everyone is looking around going: 'But we have only got four or five [players] training today'.
"You know it's not quite the same, but they obviously don't want to make it an excuse.
"As a manager who isn't working, I think I can make the excuse for them. It really is difficult [to deal with] - it stops your flow."
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your views on Manchester City's Champions League match against Sporting.
Here are some of your comments:
Stella: This was a strange game. In the first-half, up until 35 minutes, City played much better than in recent games, but they didn't take their chances when well on top of the game. Phil Foden looked much sharper. In the second-half, it was absolutely shambolic defensively with players, who are usually solid, messing up. Tiny squad size and older players starting to dip will cost us.
Kimmi: I can't believe what I've witnessed. We are leaking goals like Old Trafford leaks rain! I hope they all take a good look at themselves before Brighton. This may be the kick up the backside we need. Stunned.
Scott: I expected Sporting Lisbon to give us a game but I didn't expect City to play so poorly. Shocking defending and terrible finishing. The lack of cohesion we saw is worrying. Sporting gave their manager a send off he will never forget and this statement win will certainly galvanise his appointment with those fans across the city.
Brian: City are becoming too easy to play against. The secret is out: defend deep and break quick. It is as easy as that. A huge percentage of goals City concede start with a quick break from the opposing half. Yes, injuries don't help but the unpleasant truth is that opponents have worked out City's vulnerabilities.
Jay: Take the loss and move forward! Yes, we are creating and missing chances but this is what success brings. The expectation is to win every game now, but that isn't sustainable. No excuses though, they were more clinical. We need to man up and move on!
'I love it!' - Guardiola on challenge ahead after defeat by Sporting
Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesIf any team hopes to bolster their attack in the January or summer transfer window then Sporting Lisbon's number nine Viktor Gyokeres has to be in the conversation.
Following Tuesday's hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League, Gyokeres is the joint leading scorer in this season's most elite European competition with Harry Kane and has scored 66 goals in 67 matches for the reigning Primeira Liga champions.
The sceptics, who have argued the standard of football in Portugal is not that of Premier League, are likely to have been silenced by the striker's performance against the often dubbed 'best team in the world.'
So if the Sweden international is to be snapped up by an English club, where could he go?
Well, Gyokeres is not going to be cheap so it will have to be a club with long-term ambition and deep pockets. The 26-year-old is believed to have a release clause of 100m euros (£83m) despite only signing from Coventry City in 2023 for a fee close to £20m in 2023.
Premier League clubs were linked to Gyokeres while he was at the Championship club but it was Sporting who seized the opportunity to sign him.
And now Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are the English clubs that are linked with his name in the daily gossip pages.
The most obvious choice would be to follow head coach Ruben Amorim to Old Trafford. However, with the club already owning Rasmus Hojlund, Joshua Zirkzee and Antony it is unlikely they would sign Gyokeres without selling at least one.
Plus, it was Dan Ashworth - the current sporting director of United - that sold Gyokeres to Coventry for just £1m in 2021 from former club Brighton.
United's neighbours Manchester City could view Gyokeres as a long-term replacement for Erling Haaland should he leave the Etihad, and Sporting's director Hugo Viana may want to re-sign his Sporting star when he succeeds the outgoing Txiki Begiristain.
Liverpool could also be in the market if Mohamed Salah does not sign a new contract and departs Anfield after eight years next summer.
Chelsea, who have three strikers, have proven they like to spend big in recent transfer windows but it is their rivals in North London that appear to be the most obvious fit.
Fans and pundits have long said that Arsenal need a number nine.
Mikel Arteta's side would be formidable with a striker like Gyokeres and would be strong contenders in the league and Europe if he could replicate his form there.
"I could see that," columnist Nedum Onuoha told BBC Sport. "From the style of play that I have seen from him and the intelligence he has, he is a handful.
"If he comes to England then it is important to note that he is simply coming back because he has already got experience playing here and he knows the physical level required. He comes across as very coachable so in an Arsenal system it could really work for him and them.
"That is on the assumption that he is the sort of player that the Gunners are looking for."
In the meantime Gyokeres will no doubt continue to add to his price tag by doing what he does best - scoring.
Wednesday's newspapers make for tricky reading for Manchester City fans and have a Manchester United slant.
Incoming United manager Ruben Amorim is hailed. The Star calls him 'Ruben Hammerin' after his Sporting Lisbon side beat City 4-1.
'Manchester here I come' reads The Times.
The Sun goes with 'Ferglee Time' and points to Amorim's own words given he'd stated if Sporting overcame City, United fans may think they are getting the next Sir Alex Ferguson in as manager.
Finally The Guardian uses a little Oasis, simply stating 'He's electric', with a nod to both hat-trick hero Viktor Gyokeres and Amorim.
Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesIf the build-up to this game was all about Ruben Amorim and his impending move, much of the aftermath will be centred around Pep Guardiola and his team.
The injury issues City are wrestling with meant Jahmai Simpson-Pusey was handed his first senior start in central defence, less than a week after his first-team debut. Simpson-Pusey only turned 19 the day before the game and he was given a baptism of fire by hat-trick hero Viktor Gyokeres, who used all his experience to full effect.
The City boss has said this season will be "a struggle". That prediction is already coming true.
To help him out, he needs his senior players to have an impact. Phil Foden did so when he drove home his fourth goal of the season to set City on course for what seemed certain to be an easy win.
But early chances to double the advantage came and went and City were swept away by two goals in four minutes at the start of the second half.
Normally, a response would be expected. Had Erling Haaland converted his penalty, it might have come. The Norwegian has now failed to score in four of his last six games.
It is not just City as a whole who are struggling, individual players are too.
Image source, Getty ImagesManchester City supporter and contributor to the Blue Moon podcast, Rachel Herdson, says "there is lots for Pep Guardiola to think about" before Saturday's trip to Brighton in the Premier League.
Reflecting on the heavy 4-1 defeat to Sporting Lisbon and what happens next for City, Herdson told BBC Radio 5 Live: "The first-half we had complete control of but we found ourselves going into the break at 1-1. Second-half we came out and the first two minutes killed us off.
"Guardiola insisted on playing a high line throughout the game but we haven't got the defensive solidarity anymore or look organised at the back.
"We are obviously missing Rodri but the concern is how open we look at the back because there is no recovery pace without Kyle Walker. We are so heavily dependant on him.
"Three defeats in a row is going to tell us a lot about our mentality and how we bounce back. Nothing has been lost in the Champions League, we have just made it more difficult for ourselves.
"But I am slightly concerned going into the weekend against Brighton because having watched the highlights against Liverpool, they were really unlucky to leave Anfield without something.
"The concerns are fair and genuine. The strong squad everyone has always spoken about is looking to be a bit of a fallacy.
"There is lots for Pep to think about before Saturday but we have to get over this result very quickly."
Listen to the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds
Premier League clubs have reserved the right to seek compensation for lost earnings if Manchester City are found guilty of breaching the league's financial rules. (Times - subscription required), external
Manchester City have made resources available for two signings in January after their injury-hit start to the season. (Football Insider), external
