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Manchester City are reeling after the derby day defeat but the future looks promising for the Blues
Manchester City need to pick themselves up and dust themselves off after Saturday's disappointing 2-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford. While the Blues had plenty of possession, they failed to make that dominance count with Senne Lammens having a straightforward afternoon in the home goal.
Arsenal's draw at Nottingham Forest later in the day, followed by Aston Villa's defeat to Everton on Sunday ensured damage limitation in terms of the title race. City can also be buoyed by the knowledge their team will look a lot stronger once players return from injury.
Pep Guardiola's side have also been busy in the transfer window and while Antoine Semenyo had a quiet game on Saturday, he has already shown glimpses of exactly what he can offer. Following him through the door at the Etihad Stadium is expected to be Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi.
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The England international has proven to be one of the best defenders in the Premier League in recent seasons and adds yet another good character to the dressing room. So with things looking positive for City moving towards the future, MEN Sport has had a go at naming the Blues' strongest line-up once Guehi arrives and injured players return.
Goalkeeper
Arguably, City have the strongest goalkeeper department in the Premier League, if not world football. Plenty of clubs would love to have a player of Stefan Ortega's ability as their third choice and that's before you look at the two men vying for the No.1 position.
James Trafford showed in the 2-0 victory over Newcastle in the Carabao Cup he would be good enough to be the first choice for City or other Premier League clubs should he be asked. However, Gianluigi Donnarumma is the first choice at the Etihad Stadium for a reason and he showed it against United.
Out of the entirety of the City squad, Donnarumma was the one who least deserved to be on the losing side this weekend. He produced some great saves before United finally managed a breakthrough and he would retain his spot when all players are available.
Defenders
Once Guehi arrives at City, he should slot straight into the line-up for the Blues, injuries permitting or not. At Palace, he played in a back three but the change to a back four should not be a major issue for him.
Who partners Guehi at centre-back is the big question, out of the current crop of players though, Ruben Dias is the obvious choice. Both Max Alleyne and Abdukodir Khusanov are doing a good job filling in during the injury crisis but Dias, when fit, offers a lot more experience to that back line.
Josko Gvardiol could be moved to left-back where he has played frequently for City under Guardiola. Nico O'Reilly has done well in that position but considering what the Croatian can offer the Blues, he just about gets the nod.
Midfielders
Picking the defensive midfielder in the strongest City line-up used to be an easy decision. However, Nico Gonzalez has proven to be a very solid option for the Blues while Rodri has been recovering from his injury issues.
That being said, when both men are fit, you would favour Rodri sitting in front of the defence. There is no player in the world who Guardiola would trust more than the Spaniard to feature there, so he remains City's strongest option.
Ahead of him slightly in midfield are arguably the trickiest spots to nail down in this team. As captain, Bernardo Silva gains a place albeit you could argue the merits of picking Tijjani Reijnders instead.
The Dutchman is positioning himself to replace Bernardo should the Portuguese midfielder choose to leave City at the end of the season. In our opinion, Phil Foden would also make this team alongside either Bernardo or Reijnders.
Foden may not always be the most consistent player but when he is at his best, there are few in the world who can stop him.
Forwards
On the wings, new signing Semenyo has shown enough to prove he can be a great fit for this City team. His versatility is also a major strength for the Blues and allows Guardiola to keep the opposition guessing.
Joining him on the flanks could be Jeremy Doku, with Semenyo playing on the right and the Belgian on the left. However, it would be tempting to see Rayan Cherki on the right and Semenyo on the left.
Cherki has been a revelation for City and adds something different for the Blues. Of course, that would then leave just one position reserved for Erling Haaland to lead the attack.
City's strongest XI - Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Guehi, Gvardiol; Rodri, Bernardo, Foden; Cherki, Semenyo, Haaland
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