Pundit swipes at Man City after ‘concerning’ development – ‘you can’t keep doing it’
Noel Whelan has claimed the leaky defence at Man City will be “a concerning thing” for Pep Guardiola despite their start to the season.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claimed the reigning Premier League champions let “complacency” creep in during their 6-3 win over Man United on Sunday (2 October).
Guardiola‘s side also shipped three against Newcastle in August and had to battle back from 2-0 down to win 4-2 against Crystal Palace.
Manuel Akanji has been a mainstay in the Man City defence since his summer signing, while Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, and John Stones have all struggled for fitness.
The Citizens sit second in the Premier League, just one point behind leaders Arsenal with eight games played.
Whelan insisted his defence will be “the only thing” Pep Guardiola wants to improve going forward.
He told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury: “There are always concerns when you concede three goals.
“They’ve scored six, so maybe it’s just that complacency creeping in. But you can’t keep doing that week-in, week-out.
“When it went to 6-1, that should have been the end of it.
“I don’t think Man United deserved three goals, but it came from City’s lack of concentration and taking their foot of the gas.
“You’ve got to keep the levels high, because even if you do that against the lesser sides in the Premier League – you will concede.
“It’ll be the only thing Pep wants to brush on.
“It’ll be a concerning thing for him – they’ve got to stop giving cheap goals to teams.”
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