The warning signs at Manchester City that reveal a key reason for their woeful run - and what their leaders must prove now
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Manchester City's leadership group of players beat a hasty retreat out of the Allianz Stadium. Light on their feet as always; these players have always been able to sidestep the opposition. 'Love to, but I can't,' came the replies to reporters asking for a quick word to dissect the 2-0 defeat at Juventus, leaving them in a troubling position in the Champions League and doing nothing to quieten swirling noise of a crisis.
![[They are deserving of scrutiny and a lack of cohesion radiates from how they carry themselves]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/12/16/93088279-14186337-They_are_deserving_of_scrutiny_and_a_lack_of_cohesion_radiates_f-m-21_1734022574449.jpg)
It's derby week in Manchester. Pep Guardiola's side have lost seven of their last 10 matches and are throwing games away with alarming abandon. City's supporters deserve to hear from senior players away from carefully curated social media platitudes. In fact, none of the squad fronted up aside from doing contractual TV interviews. Not club captain Kyle Walker, and not any of the other 'captains' within the leadership group.
![[It is not right for the less experienced heads like Rico Lewis to be shouldering the burden]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/12/16/93088417-14186337-It_is_not_right_for_the_less_experienced_heads_like_Rico_Lewis_t-m-20_1734022567142.jpg)
It was left to Guardiola to publicly defend them again and the Catalan's adept at all that, saying he was pleased with the way City performed - in fairness, they weren't bad for most of the night - and turned the focus on himself. These players are lucky to have him, really.
![[Kyle Walker has been failing at the basics - his errors are not from technique but lacking desire]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/12/16/93088571-14186337-Kyle_Walker_has_been_failing_at_the_basics_his_errors_are_not_fr-m-23_1734022591499.jpg)
You do wonder where the leadership has gone over the course of the past six weeks. The grit and stubbornness that saw City churn out result after result towards the back end of last season, when the style was not scintillating, has been replaced by a rather docile and flimsy backbone.
![[Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva are also part of the leadership group at the champions]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/12/16/93088631-14186337-image-a-7_1734021554121.jpg)
