Three Man City issues Pep Guardiola must address for Liverpool and Atletico Madrid reckoning

Unless you've had your head in the sand for the past week or so, you'll know that Manchester City face a potentially season-defining run of fixtures after the international break.

After a trip to Turf Moor to face Burnley on Saturday, Pep Guardiola's side will face Atletico Madrid and Liverpool twice each across three different competitions during an 11-day period.

The first leg of the Champions League quarter-final tie against the Spanish side on April 5 is followed by a top-of-the-table clash with Liverpool on April 10. Just three days later the Blues will be in Madrid for the second leg before walking out at Wembley on April 16 for an FA Cup semi-final against Jurgen Klopp's side.

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For a run of games that could define what has been a brilliant campaign so far, City will need to be at their best. For that to happen, Guardiola must address a few issues.

City's 15-game unbeaten run that saw them establish a healthy lead at the top of the Premier League table was built largely on suffocating their opponents out of matches by starving them of the ball and preventing counter-attacks. In other words, City were always in control.

However, since January that quality has been a little lacking in City's performances, most recently in the cup win at Southampton. Guardiola's side rode out 4-1 winners, but for a 20-minute spell at the end of the first half the Blues looked overwhelmed and unable to handle the hosts.

Kevin de Bruyne put those struggles down to the players making "too many stupid mistakes" and choosing the "wrong options," but there is an argument that when the Belgian starts in City's midfield three, the Blues look more adventurous