There are only two uncertain spots in Pep Guardiola's strongest Man City starting XI

There's only one side of Manchester feeling blue at the moment and it certainly isn't Manchester City's half.

After a positive yet shaky start to the season, City now feel as though they're primed to go on the sort of run that claims championships. Manchester United meanwhile, can only dream of a start as shaky as their neighbours.

Pep Guardiola's side had its fair share of upheaval to start the season. The crucial pair of Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez departed in the summer, Kevin De Bruyne lasted just 20 minutes before being ruled out for the rest of the year and John Stones, Bernardo Silva, Jack Grealish and Mateo Kovacic were all sidelined.

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Yet, City bobbed along as if nothing was out of the ordinary. They won six matches on the spin straight out of the gate. It took them until February to win four games in a row last season, which given how that campaign ended is a very good omen.

It turns out Rodri was the crucial Jenga block to bring the whole tower crashing down. The Spaniard was suspended for three matches and all of them were lost, including two important Premier League games with Wolves and Arsenal.

Two lacklustre defeats in succession cast a dark tint on an otherwise solid enough start and made the previous unconvincing performances look worse in hindsight. Despite the wins, City hadn't been scintillating and there was a worry all the problems may yet have a bite.

As it turns out, having half the squad that won you the treble unavailable will lead to a downturn in performances. When they're back, so are the good times.

Ber