Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola criticised the decision by interim England manager Lee Carsley to call up an injured Jack Grealish to the national team for the November international break.
City trail Premier League leaders Liverpool by two points, and while that deficit is by no means irrecoverable, the champions are in poor form having lost their last three matches, including a 4-1 defeat against Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday.
The Cityzens were also deservedly beaten 2-1 by Bournemouth last time out in the top flight on November 2, with that match highlighting many of the team's defensive issues this season.
Their struggles of late have no doubt been exacerbated by the loss of Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, but the club as a whole are facing an injury crisis.
John Stones, Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish have also missed matches this season, and it is the latter's inclusion in the England squad that has left Guardiola bemused, with the winger not deemed fit enough for City's clash against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
"It's a question for the England manager — I'm not involved. They can select who they want," Guardiola told reporters when asked about Grealish's inclusion.
"Jack trained today and believes he can help us — I'm not the guy to say you cannot go (on international duty). But for my team, he's not fit. He cannot play.
"All I can say is that for a couple of days over two weeks he didn't train but the people from England believe he can help them. So go. The manager from the UK knows better than me."
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Man City struggling in attack of late
While City's defence has been the primary cause of concern in recent weeks, it should be noted that the absence of several key attacking players has meant that players such as Erling Haaland have struggled to impact games.
Indeed, the Norwegian scored 10 goals in his first five Premier League matches this term, but after injuries to the likes of Grealish, Savinho and De Bruyne, the striker netted just once in his subsequent five league games.
Grealish was heavily impacted by injuries in 2023-24, missing 13 fixtures as a result of groin and hamstring issues, and these disruptions no doubt affected his form when he actually managed to get on the pitch.
The forward made 20 appearances in the league last season but started just 10 times, scoring three goals and producing one assist.
Though Grealish has not always been favoured by Guardiola during his time at City, the former Barcelona boss would no doubt have preferred the England international to be able to fully recover from the hamstring injury that has sidelined him for the last three weeks.
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Is Pep Guardiola's final season unravelling?
One of the reasons Guardiola was left bemused by Carsley's decision to call Grealish up to the national team could be that he feels his team's current injury crisis could derail what may be his final season as City boss.
The legendary manager is out of contract at the end of this campaign and has won every trophy available to him, including the Champions League in 2022-23.
However, there is no sign of an imminent contract extension, and when coupled with off-field issues regarding possible sanctions from the Premier League, Guardiola may feel that his time in Manchester could end badly.
City have already been eliminated from the EFL Cup after they lost 2-1 against Tottenham Hotspur in late October, and if they were to lose to Brighton on Saturday, it would be the first time Guardiola has lost four consecutive games in his managerial career.
Having said that, it is too early in the season to draw major conclusions, and the champions will have the opportunity to strengthen in the January transfer window to change the course of their campaign.
Lewis Nolan
