Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, who is under increased scrutiny, is reportedly planning a massive overhaul of his squad, which could see half of his starting 11 sold off. This comes as the reigning Premier League champions face mounting pressure following a disappointing season.
Despite being one of the most successful coaches in football history, with six English league titles under his belt along with trophies from his time at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Guardiola's current campaign has been less than stellar. The Citizens are now struggling to secure a top-four finish after falling out of the title race.
Following a dismal run of just one victory and two draws in their last 11 games, both Guardiola and the club's hierarchy reportedly agree that significant changes are needed.
Key players such as Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, Ruben Dias, Ederson and Kyle Walker could potentially be on the chopping block.
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Spanish football expert Guillem Balague shed light on the situation at the club, per the Daily Record, stating that those within the organisation feel the "essence" of the team has been lost.
He said: "They are generally achieving their targets and something that gets the renewed target of this season is top four. That is what City want to do. That is the target they have all put I their head. I think they will achieve that. They are not that far away at the moment. You are talking about an achievable target.
"They want to recover the essence of the team, the look of the team. But quite clearly Pep Guardiola is going to use the last two years of his contract - which are probably be the last two of his career as a club manager - to prepare a new Manchester City.
"I have got a very clear idea that they will want to get rid of five or six regular starters for Manchester City and bring five or six new starters. Half of the team. It is a new era. The end of this one and a new era starting.
"The cycle is over but remember that only a month-and-a-half ago they had not lost a game and were top of the table. But that in my eyes is what is happening. That is what they are going to do next."
Balague went on to reveal an incident involving Guardiola and Kyle Walker, hinting at internal strife: "[Guardiola] is protected by his people but he senses a lot of people want Manchester City to fail.
"The day before [the Feyenoord game] there was an argument - but a football argument - about positional play and where he had to play with Kyle Walker. And he just got nervous and he marked his nose and they put a cover on it. It was in his own office.
"It shows that he is tense and he is nervous of course. You know he doubts hugely in himself, he always has. He thinks 'I'm not going to be able to figure this out' and he needs the support of people. And quite clearly he has the support of people and quite clearly he will find a solution."
