Manchester City: Pep Guardiola's continuous line-up changes causing problems at the Etihad

In the build up to Tuesday evening’s clash between Manchester City and Celtic at the Etihad Stadium, City's fans held a united uncertainty regarding the potential starting line-up. It is safe to say that nobody, apart from Pep Guardiola and his players, had even a slight inkling as to who would be penned on to the team sheet.

The inability to predict City’s match-day squads is something which is becoming a recurring theme under Guardiola, and it remains relatively unclear as to whether it is a true testament to the strength and depth of the Blues’ squad, or instead a potentially detrimental managerial decision.

For the majority of the current campaign, there has been no continuity, no chemistry and no coherence. The lack of consistency in terms of player selection has, naturally, transpired to the application of tactics and formations, which too have changed from game to game.

Arguably, that is something you would expect from most top teams in world football for various reasons – from calendar congestion to injuries and fitness – yet alterations have rarely been made as a tailored means to counter the opposition.

Guardiola has beckoned a staggering 46 changes to his starting lineup in just 14 Premier League fixtures thus far – a statistic that equates to 12 more changes made than any other top-flight team.

Against Celtic midweek, albeit in the Champions League in a dead rubber game, he made a further nine changes to the team which was beaten 3-1 at the hands of Chelsea last weekend, with German duo Ilkay Gundogan and Leroy Sane the only survivors.

Consider the fact that the three sides to have made the next highest number of changes in the league – Swansea, Sunderland and West Ham – are all dwelling in the bottom four of the table and suddenly the notion that squad rotation is a blessing is somewhat diminished.

By contrast, the vast majority of recently convincing Premier League title successes have been enjoyed by clubs who employed a minimal scope policy for personnel changes when possible. Under the guidance of Jose Mourinho and with 86 starting XI changes, Chelsea reclaimed the league crown at the end of an impressive 2014/15 campaign.

Last season, too, Leicester made just 27 changes to their league line-up. Manager Claudio Ranieri, previously dubbed the ‘Tinkerman’, overcame all the odds and won the title by selecting a consistent team, which promoted a sense of chemistry and self-belief.

Of course, the Foxes’ trot to the title was a significant overachievement – a feat accomplished by a relatively small group of hardworking and spirited individuals. In contrast, City have assembled an expansive, multi-million-pound force. Pep’s tinkering is most surely an attempt to discover his most potent force.

Yet the Spaniard’s continuous changes have seemingly done little more than stagnate progress; in trying to find the perfect squad for his system moulded around the importance of passing, possession and position, he is actually undermining it.

With weekly criticisms regarding the performances of the likes of John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi, how are defenders in any way supposed to acclimatise themselves to a format in which they are constantly incorporated into but rarely anchored?

How about Kevin De Bruyne, the exceptional Belgian who has featured as a central midfielder, attacking midfielder, winger and a striker already this term? City’s stars need to be allowed to settle.

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It is no surprise that current league leaders Chelsea have made a mere eight changes to their side in league ties and, in the eight games prior to their statement victory over City since Conte discovered the winning 3-4-3 formula, made none.

It must be noted that City, in contrast to Chelsea and Liverpool, have ventures in the Champions League which does place slightly more pressure on their squad.

However, when able to select from a fully fit squad, the majority of football powerhouses, not just in England but across the globe, will have an obvious first-choice setup, regardless of squad depth. City, on the other hand, do not.

Guardiola needs to figure out his best selection sooner rather than later, or he runs the risk of temporarily slipping behind the other English heavyweights.