No wonder Man City want to restart the season - Pep Guardiola must think he's cursed

One of Pep Guardiola's favourite phrases is 'it is what it is.' He never looks for excuses and accepts the up-and-down nature of football. He's been around enough to see everything and knows that there aren't the incredible highs without some lows around the corner.

But he must be wondering what Manchester City have done wrong as the luck continues to find new ways of deserting his side and making life difficult.

Saturday's FA Cup clash at Leyton Orient probably summed up the luckless run City have been on, with new £50m signing Nico Gonzalez lasting just 20 minutes on his debut before going off injured.

"I was thinking 'of course, a shot from the halfway line after we created so many chances went in,' bemoaned Rico Lewis at full-time with a rueful smile.

Gonzalez was signed on deadline day to Guardiola's relief to bolster the defensive midfield area that has been depleted this season thanks to Rodri's injury. The Spaniard was signed for the long term, Guardiola said, and is not a direct Rodri replacement.

Before his debut, Guardiola talked up Gonzalez's ability to plug a gap at number six and then move further forward when his compatriot returns.

At Brisbane Road, Gonzalez looked like Rodri, patrolling the base of midfield, playing passes from side to side and occasionally over the top when the press could be broken. Without any standout moments, he looked solid and able to fit into a Guardiola system if given some time to adapt.

But then he was caught on the ball by three red shirts, with one of them - Jamie Donley - advancing to clip a sensational ball over Stefan Ortega from 45 yards.

If VAR was in use in East London, the goal would probably have been ruled out for a foul on Gonzalez. But it wasn't. Maybe the ball