With promises do not go to the grocery store: Manchester City needs a defensive leader | Israel today

Since the departure of Vincent Kompany, Manchester City's defense has been left without a real leader • Hundreds of millions of euros have been poured in to strengthen the foundations of the back line, but the money tower is collapsing under Pep's feet.

• Manchester City players after the quintet they absorbed from Leicester City

  Photography: 

  EPA

Two weeks ago, even before Manchester City stepped on the pitch for the first time in the 2020/21 season, many fans expressed concern from the back of their team.

In a survey conducted at a large local site, about two-thirds of respondents argued that the defense needed strengthening.

Eighteen percent indicated that a new left-back was needed, and although Nathan Eka had already signed a contract and joined Bournemouth, no less than 59 percent were confident the Citizens needed another brake on the roster.

Although polls tend to go wrong, a new brake will indeed come.

City will pay € 69 million to Benfica to bring in 23-year-old Ruben Diash, and now it remains to be seen whether the new Portuguese stopper is indeed the solution to a problem that City and Guardiola have already invested € 450 million in trying to solve.

This problem could be clearly seen in the 5-2 defeat to Leicester City earlier this week.

Although the Blues lacked seven players, including French stopper American Laporte, Leicester seemed to know exactly what they had to do to penetrate the opponent's defense time and time again.

Brandon Rogers' team seems to have cut City with a knife, peeling and showcasing all the defensive problems that led to the first five that Pep snatches as head coach.

Jamie Vardy and his team highlighted the gaps between the link to City's defensive squad, its slowness against depth balls and the individual mistakes made by the backline players.

"I usually send my players to play offensively," the winning manager said at the end of the tactic he chose to tackle, "but this time I knew we could take advantage of our speed in bursts."

"Huge Pep, the defense is bad" 

The defeat to Leicester lit a red light that has been flashing for a while.

Although in terms of numbers and achievements, City's defense is not terrible - last year it was only second to Liverpool in the number of assists and helped Guardiola and City win two championships, a trophy and three league trophies - but in terms of financial investment and expectations, it still represents the team's Achilles heel.

With the addition of Ruben Diash, the amount Pep spent on brakes and defenders (without goalkeepers) rises to 450 million euros, and yet City have yet to make it through to the Champions League quarter-finals.

And not only that, in every dismissal the defensive weakness was at its core.

Against Monaco she conceded six goals, against Liverpool five, against Tottenham four, and against Lyon three (in one game).

No matter how much her defensive players cost, in moments of truth she could never lean on her backside.

Diash, a talented brake by all accounts, might help with that.

Laporte's return to fitness could also improve the defensive quartet against Leicester included youngster Eric Garcia and Aka, who appear to be yet to close in on Guardiola's style of play.

But the feeling is that this defense - despite its high price - is simply not good enough for its coach's demands of it.

The departure of Vincent Kompany left the back without a real leader, and also Pep's attempts to strengthen the back with Fernandinho and Rodrey as two back ties are not helpful at this point.

"Guariola is a huge coach, one of the greatest ever, but his defensive players are bad," Gary Neville stated after the defeat against Leicester.

Past brakeman Mika Richards put it a little differently: "If you bring in players at 50 and 60 million, they have to defend much better than that."

According to this formula, the expectation from most diash is excellent defense.

69 million euros is a price that should come with insurance, but it is doubtful if it is possible in this city.

Vardy, who became the first to score twice a hat-trick against Pep's side, proved there was a way to hurt her and that he knew her well.

Other good teams have also discovered how to penetrate City's defense, and the impression created by all of these cases is that the problem is not personal.

Citi's defensive problem looks like a problem with deep tactical roots, or in other words: one that money can't necessarily solve.