Liverpool reaction, Haaland question - The Man City mentality problem that goes deeper than injuries

"We are a bit fragile right now, that is obvious," said Pep Guardiola with the understatement of the season.

His Manchester City side were pulled apart, dismantled and bullied by Tottenham to make it five defeats on the spin. It ended their two-year unbeaten run at the Etihad Stadium and Guardiola admitted they could be out of the title race if Liverpool win their next two games - including the showdown with City at Anfield next week.

The reasons for the losing slump are well-documented - with some factors exaggerated and others ignored. But it was a comment from Guardiola and another from captain Kyle Walker which exposed a more concerning issue that has been bubbling under the surface over the last month of defeats.

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Even before the losses began, the issues were still there. The endless injuries are the obvious place to start, with key men in vital positions missing in every game this season. Guardiola even pointed to Oscar Bobb's absence since the Community Shield as a reason for City's press being less effective.

Rodri has effectively missed the full campaign, Kevin De Bruyne hasn't been able to start a game since September in 13 matches, and other players like Phil Foden, Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, John Stones and Jack Grealish have all suffered with fitness issues to hamper their rhythm.

Of his 21 players available, plus academy options, Guardiola has seen 15 miss games at various points of the season, giving him as many as 84 occasions where a player has been unavailable to start already this season. Guardiola has had to play his out-of-form right-back