Some sense from Balague
With three central defenders out in Akanji (who was going to be replacing Rodri in the middle but the absentees at the back has placed him there when available), Ake and Stones, with the centre midfielders out (Rodri and Kovacic), with Kevin de Bruyne back but currently a tentative shadow of what he has been and what he is capable of (but still the only one that does things that are unexpected and different), with Foden out of form and struggling with a virus, with between seven and ten players unavailable, it is impossible to create associations between players, consistency in performances, a solid foundation. Players that have in the past returned from injury, like Stones, Akanji and Ake, have broken down just a couple of games after they returned as they have to be rushed to come back.Pep can drive himself mad trying to fix it but it is a case of not having the players. The ones that are not injured are also suffering physically from playing too often, and consequently losing form. Gundogan, Bernardo Silva are not winning balls that they normally would expect to, but in any case they are not holding midfielders. All that accounts as an accumulation of circumstances that have not occurred in the club in the past eight years, which by the way, it is why throughout that time they have won what we have.It is exactly the opposite of a virtuous circle. The negative circle, this isThe hope is that they can hang on in there until January, get the players they need back and that they manage to stay fit. But it very much feels like a turning point in Pep’s time at the club, and it is obvious there is a need to recycle a squad to fill it with players that are hungry, younger, willing to learn, and with the mind open for the demanding Pep world.