If Pep Guardiola had a reason to drop Kyle Walker, allowing Cody Gakpo to run through to an unguarded back post so he could score Liverpool's opener on Sunday is as good as any.
However, the Manchester City veteran has received backing from the unlikeliest of sources - Mohamed Salah. Man City were beaten by their long-term Premier League title rivals 2-0 at the weekend, which left them 11 points adrift of the Reds, who are up top.
Truthfully, it was a toothless performance throughout the squad, and it also allowed Arsenal, Chelsea and Brighton to get ahead.
Now on a seven-game winless streak, the injury-hit squad's mentality is diminishing - a stark contrast to the same group of players that have often shown no signs of weakness in title-winning campaigns.
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