Pep must take off Man City star after losing possession 18 times

In something that doesn’t happen often in the Premier League, Manchester City drew away with Aston Villa on Sunday despite Erling Haaland being in charge.

In the end, Matty Cash’s powerful shot in the first half made the difference between both teams, and the Citizens suffered their first league defeat since being drawn away from Brighton & Hove Albion at the end of August.

Tijani Lijnders, in particular, has struggled at Villa Park, and it is worrying that City’s number four has fallen out of favor so quickly.

Why Lijnders was disappointing against Aston Villa

He was a joy to watch when the Dutchman was given the freedom to express himself further up the pitch. However, on his debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers he scored with such confidence that statistician Statman Dave described him as “De Bruyne’s successor”.

But the former AC Milan man won’t play in De Bruyne’s position against Unai Emery’s side, and Lijnders doesn’t seem too comfortable anchoring Guardiola’s side on the road, perhaps upset that Rodri remains in and out of the Etihad treatment room.

Lijnders trudged off in the closing stages of the 1-0 loss after just two of his intended passes fell short, but the 27-year-old found it difficult to play against a losing side as he won an astonishing 0-for-7 duel attempt.

Moreover, the £46.5m summer signing failed to win a single tackle, with the hosts’ Amadou Onana, in stark contrast, winning a total of two tackles and six duels, while Lijnders regularly lost 50/50 in scuffles.

With Nico Gonzalez also out injured, it remains to be seen what options Guardiola will choose to field in the defensive midfield position in the coming games, but it is clear that Lijnders is not suited to the long-term demands of the position.

But he is not alone in worrying about his future place in the first team, with the Spaniard also having some doubts about his immediate future in the Spaniard’s main eleven, with the attacker branded as such by journalist Amos Murphy.

5/10 City star who must fall

Looking back at the highlights at Villa Park, it’s clear that City could have picked up at least a point on another day had they not loaded up on their shooting boots and been so “teethless” that they were branded by journalist David Mooney at the final whistle.

In fact, Haaland missed a rare one-on-one chance just after Cash’s sweet opener, and Sabinho suffered a failure of his own finishing when he missed two chances in quick succession in the 45th minute of the second half.

His overall play in attacking positions, where he avoided some big chances, also looks pretty harsh. Sabinho could only complete 15 accurate passes into the opposition half, resulting in a whopping 18 possessions.

What’s more, the lackluster Brazilian only managed one successful dribble in 84 minutes of action in the West Midlands, and was also unable to produce a single accurate cross to target a player like Haaland, who can instantly strike fear into opposing defenders.

Sabinho has started four games in the Premier League this season, registering just one assist, a less-than-stellar track record, and may feel his starting position is on thin ice.

Manchester Evening News journalist Simon Bakowski gave the 21-year-old a low rating of 5/10, saying Sabinho was “poor overall” in his attempts to unlock Villa, failing to get promising shots here and there in Emiliano Martinez’s well-held goal.

Guardiola will have a number of selection questions to consider before facing City and AFC Bournemouth in early November, with both Lijnders and Sabinho potentially left out of the starting XI for the Cherries’ test after a disappointing 1-0 defeat.