Thierry Henry has issued an impassioned defense of his former boss Pep Guardiola Monday Night Footballbut admitted that the Manchester City manager could be "questioned" for the first time amid their poor form.
Henry questioned why Guardiola had allowed free-scorers such as Riyad Mahrez, Julian Alvarez and Cole Palmer to leave the Etihad without being replaced and questioned where the goals will come from when Erling Haaland is not firing on all cylinders.
City are on a run of eight defeats from their last 12 games after Sunday's 2-1 defeat in the Manchester derby left them nine points off the top of the Premier League table, having played a game more than leaders Liverpool.
Although they have struggled defensively in Rodri's absence, Guardiola's side have also easily scored their lowest number of goals per game of any season since his arrival.
"We all know, it's the first time and we're allowed to say this, that we can challenge his decisions in the way of letting Cole Palmer go, Riyad Mahrez, Julian Alvarez," Henry said.
"Ilkay Gundogan came back and he is not the same Gundogan who scores 17 goals in the season.
"You are missing those goals. Erling Haaland is scoring the same goals, a few less than in his first season, but he is doing what he usually does.
"I've seen him miss players every season, but where are the goals of Mahrez, Alvarez or Kevin De Bruyne, Gundogan - where are those goals?"
Henry said he did not expect Guardiola to leave, just weeks after signing a new two-year deal to take him until June 2027, but defended the manager he worked with at Barcelona in his first job for the level of consistency that has reached since then.
"One thing I'll say about this team, it's the first time this has happened to him in his career. Let's not kill the guy or this team because of what's going on," he said.
"You can never say (that he could leave) - but Pep is not that kind of coach. He is really, really tough, nasty and intense when he wins because he wants to keep you there.
"And he's nicer when he's down. You can see when the team didn't play well, he'll come out and say 'I love my team, they played really well tonight.'
"And sometimes he'll come on the pitch and play with his team when they're winning 3-0, you can see him arguing that someone missed a pass.
"I like that. You change when you're on top, you try to change so you can stay there. Once you're here, you're trying to be the good guy now."
Carra: This is Pep's first rebuild that feels like one
Jamie Carragher added that City's woes only highlighted the level of rebuilding required when their squad's evolution had appeared smoother in previous years, despite having to replace club legends Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Vincent Kompany during Guardiola at the club.
He said: “It's the first time it feels like a rebuild, although there has been, but they've been so successful that they haven't missed the players you're talking about.
"It's something every club has been through. You look at Jurgen Klopp a few years ago, Man Utd under Sir Alex Ferguson where you look at it and think it's going to take them a few years to get back to where they were. .
"Because Pep is so good, you never felt like it was a rebuild even though it was.
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