Mr. Ballon d Or comeback, it s hard to stop Manchester City from losing streak! Rodri: I m not Messi

After winning the Premier League championship trophy six times in the past seven seasons, Manchester City's failure last season was regarded by many as an "occasional abnormality" - that was just the second time that Manchester City was missing under Guardiola's rule. There were indeed objective difficulties at the time: 115 charges were hung high above his head, Guardiola was suspicious about the future, and Rodri, the core of the midfield, was seriously injured. However, after a total of about 330 million pounds of buyers in the summer and winter windows, people still expect the Blue Moon Legion to be reborn and regain the Premier League throne. But the results given by reality are unacceptable.

In fact, after being beaten by Brighton in this round, Manchester City has set the worst Premier League start record since the 2004-05 season - under the 38-round system, no team has reversed from the same position to win the championship. So, even though Golden Baller Mr. Rodri has made a comeback and Haaland has regained his shooting boots, people still can't help but ask: Can this Manchester City be considered a realistic favorite to compete for the championship?

Guardiola has always used "ball control, routines, and offense" as the cornerstone of the team building. When sweeping Wolves 4-0 in the first round, the outside world thought that the haze of last season had been swept away. But losing to Brighton replicates the "God and Ghost" that lasted last season. In the first half, Manchester City firmly grabbed Brighton's throat, and the Seagulls completed a shot with only three sacreds. Haaland, who was in the Premier League for the 100th time, also successfully scored his 88th league goal. However, in the 60th minute, Brighton coach Huzele replaced four players in one breath: Milner, Gruda, Rutt, and Ayali - the game trend suddenly changed. Since then, Brighton has taken over in full: Milner equalized the penalty and Gruda won the final time.

"We conceded two goals. They performed very well in the first 60 minutes." Guardiola told the BBC after the game. "This is just the third game, the road is still long, let's see."

Manchester City took a sharp turn last season, and the biggest variable was Rodri's absence. The Spanish midfielder was crowned the "World's Best" at the 2024 Golden Globe Awards, but was absent for a long time due to a torn cruciate ligament in September last year. He has long been Manchester City's winner-before against Brighton, Rodri had been unbeaten in the Premier League start 49 games, and the last time he lost was to Tottenham 0-1 in February 2023. However, after 8 months of leaving the field, it is not realistic to ask a 29-year-old seriously injured person to return to the peak immediately.

"I am not Messi, it is impossible for me to win continuously as soon as I come back." Rodri admitted to Sky Sports. "Football is a collective sport. In the past, I depended on the whole team to win the championship. I had to find my best condition first, and more importantly, everyone. We made some mistakes like children and were not focused."

The chaos in Manchester City's off-ball stage became a common feature of losing streak to Tottenham and Brighton. High-pressing is Guardiola's signature, but now the arrangement is: the team's high-level goalkeepers can shoot the ball; the full-backs need to cover a long distance to press; as a result, they are easily penetrated by the opponent on the side.

Tottenham's first goal was the same as Brighton's second goal:

ball was transferred to the foot of the full-back, and the Manchester City winger had no time to fit in; the full-back turned to face the defense line, and then passed through the passage; an offensive player retreated and led Manchester City's full-back (Ake for Tottenham and Lewis for Brighton) out of his original position; so Manchester City only had three central defenders left to make up for the place, forced to 1v1 on the wing, and eventually lost; the opponent took the opportunity to sprint in the gap between the three central defenders. If Guardiola does not quickly correct the problem of the distance between oppression and defense, a similar script will be staged. On September 14, Manchester City will play against their arch rival Manchester United in the Manchester City derby. No one expected that after the three rounds of the start, Lan Yue was actually pressed under the Red Devils. But the only comfort is: Haaland seems to have regained his murderous aura. Last season, he had 22 goals in 31 league games, which is considered "abnormal" for him. This season, 3 goals have been recorded in just 3 rounds. But to make things worse, Guardiola confirmed after the game that the new midfielder Chel will be absent for two months after the genetic injury - the pressure on the goal is even more concentrated on Haaland's shoulders.

If Manchester City can keep the Norwegians firing and plug loopholes in the defense line, they still have a chance to stir up the championship.