Manchester City's Premier League title defence appears over before Christmas, with Pep Guardiola's men travelling to Arsenal on Sunday already 14 points adrift of runaway leaders Liverpool.
City have made the extraordinary routine, winning five of the past six major domestic trophies in England but have dropped as many points in 16 league games this season as in the whole of last season.
So what has gone wrong for a hugely talented and expensive squad under the tutelage of one of football's greatest coaches?
Injuries
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Bad planning
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Fourth-season fatigue
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End of an era
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Liverpool charge
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