Football
Exclusive: Ex-Man City Star Curle Convinced Club Not In 'Terminal Decline'
Former Man City star Keith Curle believes City's recent struggles are due to player fatigue from intense schedules and international duty. He argues that the club's success has led to high expectations, but their current form is not a sign of terminal decline. City's performance is affected by injuries and lack of rest for key players.
Keith Curle of Manchester City and Ian Wright of Arsenal by Clive Mason | Getty Images
Manchester City are not in terminal decline, despite winning only one of their last nine games and falling eight points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, who also now have a game in hand.
That is the verdict of former England defender Keith Curle, who made over 200 appearances for the 10-time English champions before becoming a well-respected coach.
Although Curle has previously highlighted several tactical adjustments - including moving central defender John Stones into midfield - which he believes could help ease the pressure on Pep Guardiola and his squad, the 51-year-old thinks it was inevitable City would suffer a downturn in results at some stage under the Spaniard given their schedule in recent seasons.
Speaking exclusively to SportsBoom.com, Curle argued that Guardiola's men are victims of their own success, saying: “Just about every single player in that squad also represents their country. I’m talking top footballing countries too, so given the way the calendar is organised now, this was always going to happen.”
For fans and analysts alike, such fluctuations in form can also influence trends in sports betting, particularly when a team of City’s calibre hits an unexpected slump.
“It’s impossible for any professional to consistently perform at their absolute best all the time. Performances, because we are talking about human beings here, always fluctuate whether we like it or not.”
“But maintaining even something approaching your highest standard becomes almost impossible to do when you look at the amount of matches they are playing.”
“Yes, I get that all the top clubs have players going away during international breaks. But there are usually a few who end up staying behind.”
“If you look at City, I bet that the training ground is totally empty of senior pro’s whenever there’s an international break. Some of those lads, like Kyle Walker, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish, were playing all summer in the European Championships in massively competitive games.”
“That’s not only physically demanding, but it’s also mentally demanding too.”
Curle continued: “So, no, I don’t think it’s any surprise we’ve seen a drop off from City. They won’t want to use that as an excuse and I know that’s not something Pep Guardiola will be doing - because as a manager or a coach, you never want excuses to become part of the conversation.”
“But, if you look at not only the number of games but also the number of high-intensity games these boys have taken part in, it was always going to catch up with them at some stage.”
STRONG FAVOURITES
Having won the title in each of the past four seasons, as well as six major cups, including the Champions League trophy, across that period, City began the campaign as strong favourites to retain their crown as England’s finest team.
However, they went seven matches in all competitions without tasting victory - losing six of those - before stopping the rot by beating Nottingham Forest.
Curle, who became one of the most expensive players in the country at the time when he completed a £2m move to City from Wimbledon in 1991, also represented the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sheffield United after turning professional with Bristol Rovers.
“If you look at the amount of injuries City have got - and again, I know they are an issue for everyone at times - it tells you what’s going on,” Curle said.
“Rodri - anyone would miss him in the first place, but he’s been on this continual treadmill of highly pressurised games with City and Spain without any real break.”
“I know that no one is going to be feeling sorry for City or, outside of the club and their fans, feeling sorry for them.”
“What I will say, though, is that the issues City are facing now might start affecting a few others in the not-so-distant future too - especially if a lot of their players are representing top drawer European countries who seem to be continually in action now.” For fans looking to add an extra layer of excitement to matches involving top-tier clubs like City, there are plenty of football betting sites offering markets on everything from player performance to final scores.
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.