Another tough week for Manchester City and for arguably the greatest player in their history.
If there were any questions over why Kevin De Bruyne was an unused substitute at the Bernabeu as the Blues went quietly out of the Champions League in midweek, the Belgian was subbed off early for James McAtee in the tame home defeat to Liverpool after another performance that highlighted what looks to no longer be there.
De Bruyne showed he was still capable of the odd great ball, yet he lost the ball too often for someone who no longer has the physical capacity to chase back and win it, and there was something quite sad about him being forced to give up a corner in the second half under pressure from a stronger Liverpool. It can't definitely be said that the 33-year-old's race is run at the top level because he has confounded expectations before, but the way back to pole position has never looked as difficult.
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That has been a problem for City all season, but as costly has been the sharp drop in Phil Foden's form. Having emerged last season as the best player in the Premier League to finally show he could be the leading man at the Etihad, the Stockport playmaker has had the roughest campaign of his career.
Injuries and burnout killed his speedy return to the side after a disappointing and frustrating Euros, and he has been fighting against that ever since. As he told the Manchester Evening News in an exclusive interview last month: "When you start the season good, I feel you have the rest of the season good but I missed periods at the start of the season so I think that's why it's taken me so long to get going."
The issue for player and club is that there still aren't enough signs that he has got going. There have been a few flickers of life and he is comfortably the second-highest scorer this season, but too often that promise has not been backed up over a period of weeks.
Against Liverpool, he looked like he was trying to cover in both centre-midfield and centre-forward and looked lost between the positions. And while De Bruyne's drop can be put down to his age and the physical condition of his body - particularly after his sacrifice to win the Treble in 2023 - Foden's is more worrying; he has now played over 2,500 minutes this season but is still to properly get going.
At 24, he should be one the leading figures in the next version of the City team Guardiola is building alongside Erling Haaland and Josko Gvardiol. There is no question that he will remain at the club, but for as long as he looks a shadow of the star that stormed the Premier League last season, Foden is bringing back doubts about his ability to lead the team creatively once De Bruyne's road runs out.
