Man City News: Opinion - Pat Nevin on why losing games could be the least of his problems

In top-flight football, teams have to make sure they don’t age too much, because when autumn arrives it can be intense.

Manchester City looks worn out, but also has an aging core group. I chose what I think is the best City 11, with all players fit and available, and came up with an average age of 29.5 years.

This may sound perfect, but people like Phil Foden and Erling Haaland have brought that average down considerably.

There are also questions about finances. If some of those big, older players make the move, some of the wage bill will be freed up, but you have to spend that money wisely.

‌City has been good at buying the best lately. Haaland and Josko Gvardiol were impossible not to see so not that smart, but what about spending £100 million on Jack Grealish. He is a seriously talented footballer, but when you look at what a player who cost so much should contribute, the numbers are staggering for a top class creative striker.

In terms of combined goals and assists in the Premier League, this is well under one in three games. Compare that to Kevin de Bruyne and Mohamed Salah – or even David Silva, whom he partially replaced.

What’s more worrying is that his numbers aren’t nearly as good as Cole Palmer’s since he left for a club that should have been much harder to create and score for.

If City have lost their mojo in terms of acquisitions, that is a lot worse than losing four games in a row.