Manchester City

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We asked you what one thing people are not talking about at Manchester City but should be.

Here are some of your comments:

Tom: Pep Guardiola's tactics are no longer efficient or effective. Teams know how to defend against it and we've been lucky to pick up results against some bad teams. It's also terribly boring to watch as a long-term fan.

Manish: It's too predictable! The same tiki-taka. Opponents have figured them out.

Brian: Do people have any idea how hard it is to maintain the levels we have done over the past four to five years? Plus we have had a bad year of injuries. Don't worry Pep will build and we will be back.

David: Abdudokir Khusanov is an amazing signing and, because he made a mistake against Chelsea, that's all commentators see but he is lightning quick.

Mujeeb: Pep Guardiola publicly downplayed the importance of the League Cup suggesting he might field academy players, yet he opted to start a full-strength senior squad against Tottenham. That decision proved costly, as several key players sustained injuries during the match - a turning point that seemingly sparked Manchester City's downward spiral this season. While hindsight invites speculation, it's impossible to say whether resting those players would have altered the team's trajectory - but the consequences of that game undeniably marked the beginning of their struggles.

Joe Bradshaw
BBC Sport Senior Journalist

On this page earlier, former Manchester City player Nedum Onuoha said Jeremy Doku's next step is to become more efficient.

The eye test is clear: Doku regularly has his opposing full-back on toast, often beating them more than once, just because he can.

Bafflingly, against Liverpool he had 21 successful dribbles but City lost the game 2-0 and rarely looked like breaching the league leaders.

That is a pattern.

The Belgium winger has completed the highest number of dribbles in the Premier League and is second for most attempted.

His success rate in second place is impressive too – and he is only a smidgen of a per cent below Brentford's Mikkel Damsgaard who has attempted 53 fewer dribbles than the City forward.

In total, there are nine players who have attempted 90 or more dribbles this season and Doku is seventh on that list for goal involvements. The graph above has removed the outlier of Mohamed Salah whose 40 goal involvements dwarfs everyone else.

On the face of it, four goals and three assists seems insufficient for someone of Doku's dynamism. Indeed, team-mate Savinho has seven assists and one goal from 33 fewer attempted dribbles over the season.

Perhaps a good point of comparison would be the likes of ex-City player Morgan Rogers at Aston Villa or Antoine Semenyo at Bournemouth who both have seven goals and four assists from a similar stat profile to Doku.

They have also created more chances for their team-mates than Doku.

Of course, that comparison may not be fair. After all, City's possession-heavy style of play often leaves Doku taking on his full-back and forced to help break down a low block whereas Villa and Bournemouth get more opportunity for rapid counter-attacks.

Perhaps the onus is on boss Pep Guardiola to not only give his winger the freedom to dribble but to better harness Doku's undoubted talents in order to bring more goals.

That would be a way of making his ultimately fruitless dribbling numbers count for something.

Image source, Getty Images

Jeremy Doku himself has to have the drive to understand efficiency is a big part of what football is.

The ability to beat a player is great but what is the end product?

Defenders who have faced him one-on-one know they will always be in for a tough game. He got the better of Trent Alexander-Arnold quite a few times against Liverpool and Ola Aina had to be at his absolute best for Nottingham Forest and seek help to slow him down.

But, efficiency is king and this is when you realise Doku is still a young player and still getting a feel for playing in the Premier League.

He will get better and the fans are really into the sense of excitement he brings.

The next stage of his development is to have more end product. It is not to say he does not have any, but a more conclusive output that provides others with big opportunities is key.

That comes from him, he will understand that himself. Relatively speaking, he has played a lot of games, he is a full Belgium international and he is playing under one of the best coaches and player developers in the history of the Premier League.

Pep Guardiola would not be picking him if he did not have the belief the end product will be there.

I think he is on the right track. Obviously he is not the finished article but if he does become that, as Guardiola believes he can, then I believe City will have one of the best wide forwards in the Premier League.

Nedum Onuoha was speaking to BBC Sport's Nat Hayward

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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The reality for Manchester City is that they have lost great players to the ravages of time and their efforts to replace them seem less inspired than days gone by.

Other than Erling Haaland, who was a blindingly obvious acquisition that every football fan on the planet knew about, and maybe Phil Foden who was not bought, the players coming in lately have tended to be good or even very good, but not necessarily great.

The spending of nearly £200m in January should have given them an uplift, but it has been marginal at best. Compare that with the improvement at Aston Villa, in January they traded Jhon Duran out for £50m and acquired Marco Asensio (loan), Marcus Rashford (loan) and Donyell Malen (£21m), to find themselves immediately stronger and also in profit.

City are clearly buying for the long term, but can they match their previous ability to get excellent value for money. Kevin de Bruyne cost £55m for 10 years of brilliance. That's a measly £5.5m per season! David Silva at £43m also lasted 10 years, so £4.3m per season for that little genius. A long list of others were also cheap at the price considering their successful years.

Do we think that Jack Grealish (£100m) will be considered the same great value when he finally leaves? Will the likes of the youthful Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez and Savinho (two goals in 37 games so far), eventually be as good value, deliver as many trophies, dominate the game and show that they are as rounded players as their illustrious predecessors? It is a big ask.

You never know, that slippage from the acquisitions team might recover, but the problem is that others have caught up and City can no longer blow everyone out of the water financially due to PSR.

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Manchester City are out of the Champions League and in a battle to qualify for the tournament again next season, but hopes of silverware this term remain, with Pep Guardiola's side in the last eight of the FA Cup.

And there is no doubt plenty more going on that you know far more about than we do.

So tell us, what's one thing - good or bad - that no-one is talking about at City but really should be?

Let us know here

Liverpool, Manchester City or Arsenal would be Viktor Gyokeres' preferred destination if the 26-year-old Sweden striker leaves Sporting this summer. (A Bola - in Portuguese), external

Leeds have a verbal agreement to re-sign 29-year-old England midfielder Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City, subject to the Whites earning promotion to the Premier League. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Freddie Pye
Fan writer

Image source, PA Media

There is no other way of saying it: Saturday's loss at Nottingham Forest was a huge blow.

Not only does it once again bring the squad back down in terms of confidence, but it also damages hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League.

It was the same flaws in performance that have hurt the club throughout the campaign, albeit this time there was an element of defensive strength, perhaps largely thanks to the added impetus of Abdukodir Khusanov.

However, City found themselves severely lackingcreativity in central areas and struggled to provide service to Erling Haaland, with the Norway striker isolated for the most part.

It is no coincidence that Bernardo Silva's inclusion in the starting line-up has caused problems too. Once an engine with relentless energy, the 30-year-old is now slow in recycling possession, moving the ball high up the pitch or getting it out to wide men, all while offering little to nothing in an attacking sense.

Questions also need to be raised around Phil Foden. Last season's Premier League player of the season is light years away from his best. At a time when Pep Guardiola and his colleagues will be eyeing long-term replacements for Kevin de Bruyne, now is exactly the time a player of his experience and ability must step up.

But after another defeat in the Premier League, this time at the hands of a direct top-four rival, how long before City fans should start getting concerned over the chances of the club qualifying for Europe's premier club competition?

On paper, a largely favourable fixture list awaits after the international break but, given the uncertainty and unpredictability surrounding Manchester City at the moment, no game is a guarantee.

Guardiola needs to start getting results - and fast. But he knows that and nobody will be working harder to get the best out of those available to him.

Find more from Freddie Pye at City Xtra, external

Manchester City are actively monitoring Real Madrid's France midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, 22. (Florian Plettenberg), external

Manchester City's former England midfielder Kalvin Phillips, 29, could return to Leeds this summer after spending this term on loan at Ipswich. (Sun), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts on Nottingham Forest's Premier League game against Manchester City.

Here are some of your comments:

Forest fans

James: We were lucky to win that. Not denying the goal, it was amazing from MGW, but the rest was pretty uneventful. But a win is a win, and it helps our chances of Champions League.

Becca: Disciplined and cultured from Forest. This was a game where nerves could've got the better of us, but we never looked in danger of conceding thanks to another excellent display from (arguably) the best full-back pairing in the League! What a season this is turning out to be! The assist from MGW wasn't bad either! COYR

Pete: People moaning about a dull game miss the point. A team costing a fraction of the amount of another team played to their strengths. Sometimes it has to be like chess. Don't like it - go shopping instead.

Man City fans

Simon: Another toothless display from City, which sums up the whole season. Loads of possession and no end product. One of the greatest strikers ever and we rarely get the ball to him.

Jeff: I feel this was the worst performance of our season so far. We fielded a strong XI who had no need to recover from Champion's League fatigue due to earlier capitulations. Forest were there for the taking but our well paid senior pros failed to deliver once again.

AB: The current City team reminds me a lot of the 2018 World Cup Spanish team - toothless, outdated tiki-taka and aimless passing.

Manchester City are speaking to the representatives of Bayer Leverkusen winger Florian Wirtz, as they eye a potential summer deal for the 21-year-old. (Football Insider), external

But Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are also interested in signing Wirtz, who is likely to leave Bayer Leverkusen this summer. (Mundo Deportivo - in Spanish), external

Manchester City are considering making a summer bid for 21-year-old Crystal Palace and England midfielder Adam Wharton. (TBR Football), external

Want more transfer news? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Highlights and analysis from Saturday's six Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Liverpool 3-1 Southampton

• Brentford 0-1 Aston Villa

Matthew Howarth
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City are used to challenging for Premier League and Champions League honours at this stage of the season, but there is a very real danger of Pep Guardiola's side missing out on a place in Europe's premier club competition next season.

They dominated possession at the City Ground and created the only opportunities of a drab first half, but neither Erling Haaland nor Nico Gonzalez were able to find a way past Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels.

Guardiola was growing increasingly frustrated with his team's lack of guile in the final third, but there was little improvement from the visitors in the second half and the closest they came to scoring was through Mateo Kovacic in added time - eight minutes after Callum Hudson-Odoi had squeezed a shot past Ederson to win the game for Forest.

City can have few complaints with the outcome as they slipped to a ninth league defeat of a tumultuous season - their joint-most in a single campaign under Guardiola.

This was also the fifth time City have failed to score in a top-flight game this season - their worst tally under Guardiola since 2016-17.

Image source, Getty Images

Pep Guardiola spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Manchester City's defeat against Nottingham Forest: "Tight game, we controlled the long balls to [Chris] Wood and second balls in transition. But in second half we lost once in transition and Callum Hudson-Odoi finished it really well.

"It is not easy to play against them. That is why they are where they are. We had three or four chances in the first half. Second half it was a bit more tight. We concede one chance in the near post, so in the end the balance was for them."

On the pace of City's play in the second half, Guardiola added: "Yes it was slow. We struggled to break the lines and find spaces."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Forest's performance

What did you make of City's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Six matches make up Saturday's Premier League action and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

• Nottingham Forest v Manchester City (12:30)

• Liverpool v Southampton - full commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Crystal Palace v Ipswich Town

• Brighton v Fulham

• Brentford v Aston Villa (17:30) full commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Wolves v Everton (20:00)

All kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here