Rodri leaving a massive hole

Pep Guardiola and Manchester City's marriage has been so successful, that any slip is in danger of being blown out of all proportion.

- Jonty Mark

There is every chance, after all, that City will storm back to win the English Premier League this season, and the Uefa Champions League, and the Fifa Club World Cup at the end of the year.

In this scenario, their recent run of form will be scoffed at as a mere glitch in the matrix, before normal service resumed.

For now, however, City are in the kind of funk that warrants further scrutiny. It is not just that they are failing to win football matches. It is the manner in which it is happening too.