I get that, but when we are discussing Manchester City, they should never depend on one or two injuries in a way that destroys the whole season if that happens. Yes it can happen and if Messi was to get injured back when he played for Barcelona, it literally meant that the game is going to be completely different. But they should still be able to compensate for these incidents on a level that the season is still not that much at risk. It does change the trajectory of a season, but it shouldn't to the extent that it is game over as soon as an important player misses a lot of games.
City also had injuries last season, when De Bruyne suffered a very serious injury and was out for half a season and they were left without Gundogan, who went to Barcelona, but all this did not affect City, they played very well and became champions again, despite the fact that Arsenal pursued them until the last round. But last season their attack played better, when Haaland could not score, Foden helped, and now it is more difficult for them even despite the return of Gundogan, or maybe he has not yet regained his form.
In the previous season, several players of Manchester City faced injuries. De Bruyne appeared in only 18 matches last season. Without this important player, Manchester City was able to maintain its performance stability in the last season. Haaland was also out of the squad in several matches. However, Alvarez was able to perform excellently as a replacement for Haaland. So, Manchester City's overall performance was stable.
There is no doubt that at the beginning of this season, we saw a much better performance from Manchester City. The top spot of the table was also occupied by Manchester City. However, due to the defeat in the last two matches, Manchester City is now in second place in the points table. Manchester City is 5 points behind Liverpool. It is very difficult for City to regain the top spot of the table.
After the international break, it is hoped that Guardiola will be able to solve the internal problems of his squad. City's squad is strong. Manchester City has the ability to dominate the Premier League this season as well.