The sight of Rodri parading the Ballon d’Or before kick-off at the Etihad Stadium was a reminder of what they are missing. But it was nothing compared to what followed. Tottenham administered brutal punishment.
Manchester City’s linchpin could only watch as Ange Postecoglou’s side ran riot in the area of the pitch he normally dominates; an area which has become a vacuum in his absence. The vulnerability was clear even before City’s results began to deteriorate. Not until now, though, had it been exposed like this.
It could be seen in how James Maddison accelerated, untracked, into a gap in City’s defence for the first goal. Seven minutes later, he repeated the trick, only this time he was left free to latch onto a Heung-Min Son pass rather than a Dejan Kulusevski cross.
Tottenham’s third goal will make even more painful viewing for Pep Guardiola when he summons up the courage to watch the game back, starting, as it did, with Kulusevski powering through powder-puff resistance in his own half, and ending with Pedro Porro surrounded by nothing but grass as he slammed home his finish.
“What are we watching?” asked Sky Sports’ Gary Neville on co-commentary. But somehow it got worse for City, Tottenham’s fourth, scored by Brennan Johnson from Timo Werner’s cross, condemning them to their heaviest home defeat under Guardiola.
It was in fact the heaviest home defeat of Guardiola’s career.
The sight of Werner breezing past a heavy-legged Kyle Walker in the lead-up to that fourth goal was a reminder that Rodri’s absence is not City’s only issue right now. “This is more than just Rodri,” said Neville. But its significance can hardly be overstated.
It was compounded, on this occasion, by an injury to Mateo Kovacic which left a 20-year-old full-back in Rico Lewis and a 34-year-old Ilkay Gundogan as their deepest-lying midfielders.
“They are all great players but who wants to do the dirty work in that midfield?” queried Jamie Redknapp at half-time.
The pair barely misplaced a pass and nor did Bernardo Silva, the third member of Guardiola’s midfield. But none of them got close to their counterparts off the ball. Between them, they made more fouls than tackles. Spurs ran through them – and not just for the goals. Postecoglou’s side were outstanding from start to finish.
City have been here before, of course.
They have clawed back bigger deficits than the current five-point gap to Liverpool. And that will remain the case even if Arne Slot’s side win against Southampton on Sunday, given City recovered from 10 points back to overhaul the Reds under Jurgen Klopp in 2018/19.
But this time feels different. Manchester City muddled through the first two months of the season without defeat but warning signs have now become deafening alarm bells. The blip has become a crisis that even news of a new contract for Guardiola could not alleviate.
“City lose the odd game here but we very rarely see them outplayed in every department and that’s what we’re watching,” added Neville.
“They look well short, as short as I’ve seen them since the first Pep Guardiola season. I’ve not seen them as bad as this.”
The numbers certainly support that claim. Manchester City have conceded 17 goals in 12 games this season. It is the same number as 18th-placed Crystal Palace and equates to an average nearly 40 per cent higher than even that first, trophyless season under Guardiola.
It is a consequence of giving up higher quality chances. Without Rodri, whose absence has become a psychological issue as well as a technical and tactical one, they are far too easy to open up. No Premier League side has given up more shots from fast breaks this season. They are fortunate more sides have not capitalised.
They have issues at the other end too. Erling Haaland is still freakishly prolific. He is scoring at a higher rate than last season. But the problem is that on off days such as this one, when he missed a string of inviting first-half chances, there is nobody else stepping up.
The Norwegian has gone from scoring roughly 30 per cent of their goals in the last two campaigns to more than 50 per cent this term. Manchester City’s second-highest scorers in the Premier League this season are Josko Gvardiol and Kovacic with only three each.
City’s supporting forwards have provided a reliable stream of goals in previous seasons. This time around, Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku, Savinho and Jack Grealish have only one between them. It is not sustainable, especially not with the 33-year-old Kevin De Bruyne’s fitness levels fading and Julian Alvarez long departed.
And yet, even their issues with goalscoring come back, at least partly, to the absence of Rodri. He would not have won the Ballon d’Or simply for giving City defensive balance. This is a player who scored nine goals last term, eight of which came in the Premier League. He has been missed offensively as well as defensively.
Manchester City will doubtless turn to the transfer market to find a solution in January. But there are seven Premier League games to get through before the window even opens, starting with a trip to Anfield to face leaders Liverpool next Sunday.
On this evidence, things could get worse before they get better.