Pep must find a new way to win the title

WORLD CUP SCUPPERS CITY'S TRIED AND TESTED PLANS

- TYRONE MARSHALL

FOR City, this next month or so is normally the heart of the season, the time when they find top gear and turn their rivals into dust.

But this year, 16 of their players are in Qatar and just when they are usually making mincemeat of all comers, the campaign is on hold.

It's a new challenge for every team, but it hasn't escaped the notice of Pep Guardiola and his players that the World Cup is taking place in what is often a crucial phase of the season for them.

To try and mitigate the six-week break, the Blues boss and his squad spoke about starting quickly this season, of getting out of the blocks quicker, but it's not been hugely successful.

The defeat to Brentford on the final weekend before the World Cup has changed perceptions of how we see their start to the season, and the flying start Arsenal have made is why City are five points adrift.

But dropping points in four of the first 14 games has been far from ideal. The draw at Aston Villa and defeat to Brentford have been particularly hard to take and the loss at Anfield was also a missed opportunity, given Liverpool's form at the time.