Manchester City's Defensive Problems Showing Folly of Summer Transfer Business

Much of the talk around Manchester City this season has suggested a club in varying degrees of bother—of crisis, even—which may sound a little strange to say of a team currently second in the Premier League and with their Champions League fate (almost) in their own hands.

However, more was expected of the defending champions. With City already six points behind Chelsea and surviving in Europe by the skin of their teeth, it's not surprising that questions are being asked.

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City's problems increased during their impressive 3-0 victory over Southampton at the weekend, after Eliaquim Mangala got himself sent off for two of the clumsiest fouls you are likely to see. He will thus be suspended for Wednesday night's game against Sunderland, while Vincent Kompany limped off with a hamstring problem.

Kompany's injury is the bigger problem for City. It not only denies Manuel Pellegrini of his captain, but it forces him to consider stopgap options.

The Chilean said on Tuesday, as quoted by the Guardian: "We have Dedryck Boyata, he is working very well, we have also Martin Demichelis, we have Bacary Sagna. So we have three options. We will see which two of them will play."

Demichelis will be 34 in a few weeks and has, shall we say, "consistency issues." Meanwhile, Boyata was essentially only kept around because he is a homegrown player, and Sagna is of course a full-back.

The former Arsenal man has played in the middle before and done a solid job, but he remains a temporary, make-do option.

Matija Nastasic could have returned from the wilderness, something that Rob Pollard covered elsewhere on Bleacher Report, but the young Serbian is injured again.

Pellegrini said, again in the Guardian: "Unfortunately for him, he is again injured. He has had two long injuries this season. He has a muscle injury in his thigh. I don’t know if he will be able to work with the squad for one week more so he is not an option."

Mangala's absence perhaps isn't something that City fans should wail and gnash their teeth over, given his form since his big-money move from Porto in the summer.

The French defender has oscillated between excellence and calamity, more frequently the latter, defending in a clumsy manner that has proved more harmful than helpful on many occasions this season.

Of course, this might be part of him adjusting to the rigours and pace of the Premier League. However, for a side who need him to be part of a tight defence, any growing pains aren't ideal.

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The most damning thing for City about his suspension is not that they are necessarily short of defensive cover without him, it's that they may actually look stronger without him.

City are understood to have paid north of £42 million for the defender, which would be a staggering amount of money even if he was playing well.

However, with Mangala performing as he is, that is beginning to look like folly of the most expensive sort.

Pellegrini retains confidence in his defender, as per the Manchester Evening News, but his performances will need to improve dramatically if City's investment is to prove worthwhile, and indeed if their title challenge is to exist anywhere but the realms of the theoretical.

Until then, particularly with their other injury problems and the inconsistency of some of their forward talents, City will continue to trail far behind Jose Mourinho's Chelsea juggernaut.