The key signs that point to uncertainty in Pep Guardiola's mind after Man City were served shock reality check at Southampton, writes JACK GAUGHAN

Usually by present it’s each settled with a akin pattern. Usually everybody astatine Manchester City knows wherever they basal and routines hap that you could acceptable your ticker to.

Vincent Kompany making coaches rotation their eyes by miraculously recovering from changeless injuries to diagnostic successful each crippled earlier trophy lifts; antecedently out-of-favour Nathan Ake becoming indispensable astatine afloat back; 1 big-name midfielder uncovering himself watching from the seat during the run-in.

Not now, not this year, and Pep Guardiola bringing backmost not 1 but 3 players astatine Southampton is grounds of that. With Erling Haaland’s hamstring, Manuel Akanji’s adductor and Phil Foden’s form, the trio hadn’t started a corporate 27 matches earlier being thrown successful connected the southbound coast.

Did it talk to City’s assurance earlier going to St Mary’s, seemingly destined to each but unafraid Champions League qualification that present remains successful their hands but successful the balance, oregon is Guardiola unsure of his squad up of Saturday’s FA Cup final?

Possibly some and the second is not mean successful the last weeks of a City campaign. Yet past this has been nary mean campaign, 1 acceptable to spell down to the wire.

The changes whitethorn not person fixed Guardiola definitive answers either. Haaland’s reintroduction took adjusting to, Akanji coming successful shifted Gvardiol backmost retired to near back, which loses the thrust of Nico O’Reilly.

Gvardiol and Ruben Dias – the villain of the portion aft criticising Southampton’s tactical outlook – had been talking up their concern successful caller weeks but that has present been breached up. 

Foden, meanwhile, conscionable looks bereft of assurance and his throwing of arms erstwhile Haaland failed to link with an inviting transverse painted the representation of a antheral who needs a break.

Rico Lewis shone successful cardinal midfield during the semi-final triumph implicit Nottingham Forest yet hasn’t returned to that spot. Some (not all) would reason they missed the thrust of Matheus Nunes. 

Jeremy Doku’s reward for encouraging performances was a spot among the substitutes, portion Omar Marmoush didn’t person the telephone until the 84th infinitesimal – contempt regularly appearing City’s astir evident extremity threat. Guardiola volition request to find a mode of the Egyptian flourishing alongside Haaland due to the fact that some are excessively bully to simply observe.

In the abbreviated word though, they request this portion of silverware. It’s churlish to accidental it saves City’s season, due to the fact that determination is nary divine close to triumph trophies each year, but beating Crystal Palace and past finishing successful the apical 5 would further enactment into position the standards they’ve acceptable for themselves. 

This could beryllium arsenic atrocious arsenic it gets and yet plentifulness of those astir them would connection up a limb for it. That is however Guardiola has redefined expectations.

‘The mode we play is backmost wherever we utilized to be, oregon it's getting there,’ Akanji said. ‘So I'm truly affirmative astir the adjacent games. I've been playing with a batch of symptom passim the season. 

'At 1 constituent it was excessively overmuch for my body. It was erstwhile I did the MRI and the doc was stunned and said I needed surgery… I knew past it was excessively much.’

Akanji fto retired a gentle suspiration erstwhile helium mentioned the Club World Cup – City’s “season” could proceed until mid-July – and determination is clip for tinkering then. Perhaps it’ll beryllium the arena wherever the manager attempts the latest alteration successful style.

For now, Guardiola whitethorn beryllium champion doing what helium has ever done: sticking with the nucleus of a starting XI that has garnered results that got them into a presumption wherever triumph down astatine Southampton should person efficaciously sorted retired Europe. Just to propulsion them implicit the line.