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Five Takeaways as Manchester City lose to Wolves

By J.C. Gonzalez

Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola (R) gives instructions to Manchester City's Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on October 6, 2019. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola (R) gives instructions to Manchester City's Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on October 6, 2019. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images) /
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1. The title was decided the moment Aymeric Laporte pulled up injured

Having not reinforced central defense following the departure of Vincent Kompany last season, Aymeric Laporte was already hugely important for City’s success this season. After the club’s best defender was injured and ruled out until at least January, City’s lack of depth at the back was too much of a hill to climb.

The losses to Norwich and Wolves are merely symptoms of the greater issue at hand: Laporte can mask the weaknesses of an otherwise shaky defense, but without his presence, City can and will ship goals.

Although he may return in time for the knockout stages of the Champions League, which will be a massive boost for City’s European aspirations, the gap domestically may be too great to close by the time he returns. The eight-point gap itself is not the reason City appear to be dead in the water in the title race; it is the fact that without Laporte, City will make more mistakes at the back and therefore drop more points.

In the same way that Liverpool has proven capable of finding ways to win when performances drop, when City have failed to score goals early and often, they have been unequivocally punished and dropped points, something evident in the defeat to Wolves on Saturday.

Guardiola will not let his team give up, as it is simply not a part of his managerial style. However, with the domestic battle looking this grim, it may be time to refocus the priorities this season away from the attempt to win a third-straight Premier League and toward the club’s first-ever Champions League title.

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