Tijjani Reijnders & £53m struggler – Three Man City players who must be axed vs Fulham
Pep Guardiola must make several key changes to the Man City lineup ahead of facing Fulham despite claiming three points last time out.
Man City squeezed past Leeds United in a five-goal thriller at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, 29 November, with Phil Foden netting his brace to rescue the Citizens from embarrassment.
Despite taking a two-goal lead, Daniel Farke‘s side equalised through goals from Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha, and the Whites could have sealed all three points.
Man City even required a tactical timeout, taken after Gianluigi Donnarumma was accused of feigning injury, but it was a moment of brilliance from the team’s most important academy graduate.
Despite securing the victory in dramatic fashion, the Citizens cannot afford to make the same mistakes against the Cottagers on Tuesday, 2 December.
Tijjani Reijnders
While City were in dire need of some creativity against the Whites, Tijjani Reijnders was rather disappointing in terms of probing passes and splitting the lines.
His involvement in the team normally means that Rayan Cherki has to sit back on the bench until called upon by the manager, but that has to change for the trip to Craven Cottage.
Guardiola has more than enough talent to choose from in the final third, and with City still missing the dynamism of Kevin De Bruyne, it is time for the manager to try something new.
Matheus Nunes
Despite being signed for £53million as an attacking midfielder [BBC Sport], Matheus Nunes has found his new position at right-back, where he has been impressing for much of the campaign.
| Matheus Nunes vs Leeds United | Stats [FotMob] |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Goals / Assists | 0 / 1 |
| Errors leading to goal | 1 |
| Successful dribbles | 0% (0/2) |
| Offsides | 2 |
| Dribbled past | 2 |
| Ground duels won | 0% (0/6) |
Man City fans were extremely critical of Nunes, however, as the 27-year-old made a huge blunder in the build-up to Leeds’ first goal, having only just been carded for a foul.
Both Rico Lewis and Abdukodir Khusanov are available now, and with either proving they have what it takes in the position, it might be time for a change ahead of facing the Cottagers.
Bernardo Silva
Bernardo Silva has played an important role for City more times than supporters can count. However, against Leeds, other than the corner goal, he was slightly invisible.
As the captain, it is never a simple decision for Guardiola to make, but the manager needs to freshen some things up if the Citizens are to avoid another Premier League slip-up at Craven Cottage.
He makes a much better impact through the middle rather than on the wing. Though with so many options at Guardiola’s disposal, he could sit out for the trip to London.