There are some phrases you think you’ll never write and this is one: Pep Guardiola has not been ruthless enough with this Manchester City squad.
As Paris Saint-Germain cut through a creaking City defence – left exposed by a midfield that was unable to stem the tide in the biblical rain – it suddenly felt like a season too far for some of the men in that abomination of an away kit.
Serial winners they may be but is the tide beginning to turn for the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Mateo Kovacic and the ineffectual Ilkay Gundogan?
These are great players – some of the best to ever grace the Premier League – but Guardiola’s famed eye for detail seems to have lost focus in allowing them all to grow old together.
It did not have to be this way, as City’s mid-season splurge illustrates. The signings of Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis have injected energy and youthful zeal into the defence.
Omar Marmoush – a flexible, technically brilliant forward who has impressed in the Bundesliga – is an especially exciting addition, capable of transforming City’s attack.
That triple signing shows that plenty of spadework had been done on potential signings.
There were targets ready to go, recruitment ideas circulating and an acknowledgement that succession plans for their biggest stars needed to be drawn up.
But it was Guardiola who erred on the side of caution, perhaps figuring that these brilliant players – so well versed in his football philosophy and unique demands – would be good for one last dance.
It can not be sentimentality that was the source of his hesitation. Guardiola is utterly ruthless at times – just ask Joao Cancelo, shoved into exile when nearly at the peak of his powers in 2023.
He knew when to cut his losses on Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus too, even going as far as giving the green light to them to join title rivals in Chelsea and Arsenal. Those judgement calls were typically razor sharp.
Can the same be said of what has transpired over the last 12 months? Kyle Walker has started the departure of the old guard with his move to Milan but it says a lot that his exit was player-led – even though the evidence of his decline was clear.
It is not that the gilded De Bruyne, silky Silva or Nunes have become bad players overnight. All three remain either elite or excellent on their day but it has become obvious that they need to be accompanied by younger, more energetic legs to do some of the defensive donkey work around them.
Belatedly City seem to have recognised that, which explains why they are still scouring the transfer market for a number six able to replace and complement the much-missed Rodri.
PSG seem to have got that particular memo. It was exhilarating to see Bradley Barcola, still only 22, and the wonderful Joao Neves, just 20, rising to the occasion of a big Champions League night.
Faced with the dilemma of replacing Kylian Mbappe this summer, they have injected energy and hunger into a group in danger of falling flat.
City, surprisingly, dropped that ball in the summer and now the cuts will have to run deep.
Only Everton, West Ham and Fulham have fielded teams with a higher average age than Guardiola has this season, which perhaps hints at the issues that are unfolding at the Etihad. New blood is required to keep the sky blue trophy-winning machine pumping.
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