5 things Pep Guardiola must do to ensure Manchester City are title contenders in 2017/18
Pep Guardiola finally conceded that the Premier League was tougher than he previously anticipated. But maybe he wouldn't have made that claim had he inherited a squad capable of competing for top honours.
With the oldest average squad in the top six of the Premier League, it's clear Pep Guardiola needs young blood – especially at the back. But these are just some of the problems the Catalan has to address in the coming summer transfer window.
While the window itself might help him properly plan out how he sees his squad and what it requires to compete for the title, there are other areas he needs to fix, too.
Here's looking at five crucial areas Pep Guardiola needs to focus on to ensure Manchester City can fight for the 2017/18 Premier League title:
#5 Get back to basics
Manchester City looked incredible early in this Premier League season but have since faded off and are now a whole 12 points behind leaders Chelsea. A lot of could be attributed to injuries and suspensions but there's something about the way Pep Guardiola is asking them to play that doesn't seem to be working out.
Even though he has players like Ilkay Gundagon, Yaya Toure, David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne, his side still seem vulnerable on the counter and that never happened with either of his former two sides, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
While teams take time to adjust to a manager's new system, Manchester City are taking longer than usual and Pep needs to get his side back to basics. Passing into space, running off the ball and threading balls don't seem to be clicking for his side.
Addressing those three issues could make life easier for Pep. With the right kind of additions, they'll finally look like a side capable of adapting to the passing game.