Roy Keane identifies Man City problem as 115 charges point made

It was only a matter of months ago that Manchester City opened the Premier League season with four straight wins while missing a host of key players.

But fastforward to November and the Blues have suffered four successive defeats to slip five points behind leaders Liverpool in the Premier League, suffer a chastening Champions League night in Lisbon, and exit the Carabao Cup at Tottenham. The injury crisis has shown no sign of abating with a clutch of players missing or playing through fitness issues.

It all means Pep Guardiola must try and find a solution sooner rather than later ahead of a defining period of the campaign that begins with top flight games against Spurs and Liverpool over the coming weeks. While the volume of players absent has undoubtedly hampered City in recent weeks, particularly with Guardiola's penchant for a small squad, the recent losing run has again shone a light on Rodri's importance to this City side.

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The Spaniard has been key to City's success in recent years but suffered an ACL injury early in the season and has set the Club World Cup next summer as a possible return date. And Roy Keane believes the midfielder's absence is telling.

“My problem with City," said Keane, speaking on The Overlap, sponsored by Sky Bet. "Obviously they’ve been on this road before and can bounce back of course, but it’s their lack of intensity. Even though they’ve lost Rodri, his physical appearance and looking after them [the players] is missing.”

City may look to bring in a Rodri replacement in January,