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Liverpool win title: Five things Manchester City must do to close the gap

:Headline: Liverpool win title: Five things Manchester City must do to close the gap: ID:403972: from db_amp
City are 23 points behind the champions with seven games still to play.

Manchester City have surrendered their Premier League crown to Liverpool after being champions for the past two seasons.

Liverpool clinched the title with a record seven games to spare, 23 points ahead of a distant second-placed City.

Here, the PA news agency looks at what City need to do to close the gap.

Find a top-class centre-back

City badly missed Aymeric Laporte through injury (Martin Rickett/PA)

City must surely be regretting the decision not to meet Southampton's £75million asking price for Virgil Van Dijk back in 2018, with the Dutchman having improved Liverpool immeasurably at their expense. They also baulked last summer when quoted £80million by Leicester for Harry Maguire and that also seems a mistake. Admittedly they were unlucky to lose Aymeric Laporte to a serious injury but John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi are not reliable alternatives and Fernandinho, a more than adequate short-term stop-gap, is ultimately just that.

Replace Vincent Kompany off the field

City have not replaced Vincent Kompany on or off the field (Gareth Fuller/PA)

City's problems at centre-back have come into sharp focus since the departure of Vincent Kompany and there is also another area where they are missing their inspirational former captain – in the dressing room. Kompany was an outstanding leader as well as a fine defender and his influence was immense. Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne have led strongly by example but the command Kompany brought has not been replaced.

Cut out the errors

After two years of exhilarating football, City have fallen below their own high standards this term. Perhaps it was inevitable – so intense and demanding is manager Pep Guardiola – that there would have to be a drop-off at some point. This could now happen to Liverpool, who have enjoyed two outstanding years themselves, but part of the reason the Reds are so good is because they have met City's high bar. It is a tough challenge to return to that level. They could go some way to cutting the gap, however, by simply eliminating the costly individual errors that have crept into their game. Ederson's howlers in the Manchester derby before lockdown and Benjamin Mendy's mistakes at Chelsea in Thursday's definitive game spring to mind.

Full-back refresh

Benjamin Mendy has struggled with injuries since joining City (Nick Potts/PA)

The threats City pose from full-back do not match those of Liverpool, for whom Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson are outstanding. Kyle Walker may have had a reasonable campaign but Mendy, after two injury-ravaged seasons, has not matched expectations. Of the other options Joao Cancelo has not adapted to the demands of Guardiola or the English game since his £60million signing and left-back is not Oleksandr Zinchenko's natural position. It might be time for a refresh.

Make the most of a European ban

City are facing a ban from European competition (Martin Rickett/PA)

Being excluded from the Champions League could have a big impact on City's short to medium-term future, particularly in terms of reputation and their ability to recruit. A final decision on whether their two-year suspension is upheld is expected from the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the coming weeks. The club would struggle to find a positive if it was upheld but it would at least ease fixture congestion, potentially allowing the sort of run at the title Leicester and Chelsea have enjoyed in recent years.

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2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
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5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
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11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133
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