Manchester City's club-record 32-game unbeaten run in the Premier League came to an end in disappointing fashion last weekend when they were deservedly beaten 2-1 by an impressive Bournemouth outfit at the Vitality Stadium.
In a contest that City failed to register a single shot on target until the 80th minute, Antoine Semenyo and Evanlison put Bournemouth two goals to the good, before Josko Gvardiol gave the Citizens hope of a late comeback with a brilliant 82nd-minute header. However, the reigning champions were unable to grab an equaliser.
Defeat for Pep Guardiola's side represents their first in the top flight since December 2023, as well as their second in the space of just four days this term after also losing 2-1 away against Tottenham Hotspur in the last 16 of the EFL Cup.
The Citizens have slipped to second in the Premier League table and are now two points behind new leaders Liverpool, who came from behind to beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 at Anfield.
Amidst Man City's hectic fixture schedule, Guardiola has made no secret of his team's lengthy injury list, stating after their EFL Cup loss at Spurs that he had just 13 fit players at his disposal.
Despite those injury problems, the Catalan coach was still able to field a fairly strong first XI against Bournemouth. The likes of Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Ederson, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan and Kyle Walker - who returned from injury - were all involved, but Guardiola's jaded senior stars were ran off the park by an energetic Cherries side.
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To the surprise of many City supporters, Guardiola persisted with his first eleven - visibly lacking energy and the legs to compete with Bournemouth across the pitch - and made the first of just two substitutions in the 73rd minute, replacing Nathan Ake with Rico Lewis who was deployed at left-back, while Gvardiol moved into central defence.
Jeremy Doku was then brought on with just five minutes remaining; the Belgian winger was one of three Man City players along with Walker and Kevin De Bruyne - who was an unused substitute - who returned to the first-team squad after recovering from injury.
Both Doku and Lewis provided a much-needed spark down City's left flank in the closing stages and injected energy into Guardiola's side that, for the majority of the match, controlled the ball without creating clear-cut chances and ran out of ideas to test Bournemouth's resolve.
On paper, many would have predicted Man City to pick up all three points against a Bournemouth side whom the Citizens had beaten in all of their previous 14 top-flight meetings. Many would have also assumed that City would have had a spring in their step after discovering that title rivals Arsenal had lost at Newcastle United earlier in the day.
However, Guardiola's men were far from their best at both ends of the pitch and Andoni Iraola's side deserve all the plaudits that come their way after taking advantage of City's sluggishness and transitional issues that are yet to be rectified.
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Should Guardiola turn to youth to rectify aging midfield?
Without the presence of injured Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, Man City have been far too open in midfield on the transition when attempting to deal with the counter-attacks of opposing teams, and there is a debate to be had over whether Mateo Kovacic, Gundogan and Bernardo - all now in their 30s - can play together centrally.
Man City's lineup has more or less picked itself in recent weeks due to their injury crisis, but perhaps the time has come for Guardiola to put more faith in some of the club's highly-rated academy stars who have been integrated into his first-team squad this season.
After two impressive years on loan at Sheffield United, James McAtee has since been a lively presence in Man City's midfield when called upon, starting three of his six outings in all competitions, while 19-year-old duo Nico O'Rielly and Jacob Wright have also made notable impressions across six appearances combined in the first team.
Following City's defeat at Bournemouth, Man City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany and Sports Mole senior reporter Oliver Thomas discussed whether Guardiola should look to freshen up his team by selecting some of his academy stars in a bid to address the club's midfield concerns ahead of fixtures against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League and Brighton in the Premier League that will take place before the international break.
Press play on the video at the top of this article to hear the full discussion.
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