The 2025/26 campaign has been a challenging one for Manchester City. After an initial victory over Wolves, the team suffered back-to-back defeats against Tottenham and Brighton. This leaves the Cityzens trailing six points behind Liverpool already, a situation that has sparked numerous discussions among sports pundits. Gary Lineker, a renowned football pundit, believes that Man City is missing a key star they let go recently after witnessing Pep Guardiola’s loss to Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.
Gary Neville, another respected figure in sports commentary and former professional footballer himself, identified potential issues with Man City's backline during the match against Brighton. He expressed doubts about Matheus Nunes' performance as right-back.
However, Lineker thinks there are deeper issues at play within the team dynamics of Manchester City. According to him, it isn't just about who is playing in what position; it's also about who isn't playing at all.
Missing link?
Lineker suggests that Riyad Mahrez could be the missing piece in Guardiola’s puzzle. Mahrez had an illustrious five-year spell at Etihad Stadium where he played a pivotal role in helping Guardiola’s side secure every possible trophy.
Gary Lineker, Premier League legend, said:
“Yeah, I think there might be two things. I said, one, the fear factor of playing City, I think would be negated to a degree by the fact that people can see that they’re now beatable. I think the second thing, and probably more importantly, I think overall, they haven’t quite got the standard of player that they’ve had in most of Pep’s seasons. You know, there’s De Bruyne is no longer there; his powers were waning at the end.
“We saw that, you know, last season, there’s no, you know, Mahrez, you can name quite a few players really, that are not there now. Alvarez, another one, at Atlético, because ultimately, you can have coaches who are seriously important, but ultimately, it’s about the quality of the footballers that you have underneath you.”
Mahrez was known for his deep understanding of how Guardiola wanted his wingers to perform - something that seems lacking in recent matches according to Lineker. His departure from Man City to Al-Ahli in 2023 as part of a £30m deal might have left more than just financial implications; it may have also created an irreplaceable gap within the team structure and strategy.
While it's still early in the season, these initial setbacks have raised questions about Manchester City's strategy and team composition. As sports fans and betting enthusiasts watch closely, only time will tell if Guardiola can turn things around or if Lineker’s analysis holds true.
