The injury of a player cannot serve as an excuse for the apocalyptic downfall of Guardiola's City. Inexplicable and unexpected, Guardiola's renewal has not managed to reinvigorate a team lacking energy and plagued with existential doubts. Emotional exhaustion, as well as physical fatigue, have been cited by some, alongside changes to doping regulations in the Premier League, which further restrict supplementation for players competing at the highest level every three days.

Guardiola wants a midfielder to replace the injured Rodri. The complexity lies in the fact that none of the candidates want to sign only to become a habitual substitute for the best midfielder in the world. None are willing to join under the conditions City currently faces. On one hand, Rodri's eventual return. On the other, the potential sanctions and relegation of City, and lastly, given how the season is going, the challenging task of qualifying Guardiola's team for the next Champions League.

Then there's the squad and Haaland's future. Just two goals in the last nine matches of the year with only one victory for the "Sky Blues." The Norwegian cannot find his scoring rhythm nor a team that provides him with advantageous balls and has seen himself lose the Golden Boot as the top scorer of 2024 to Viktor Gyökeres, who has scored 60 goals with an average of more than one goal per game, a level Erling Haaland can no longer reach.