There is no denying Pep Guardiola’s success and ability as a manager. Few will not consider him as a part of modern football’s greats and many even consider him to be one of the all-time greats. And there is very little to fight against that argument especially if you base it purely on trophies. The Spaniard has somehow, over the years, managed to win, win and do nothing else but win that coveted silver shiny object numerous times, earning the plaudit. 

No, Manchester City’s real problem, right now, is the fact that their best solution to scoring goals is sitting on the bench. And that doesn’t look like it’s going to change with Sergio Aguero’s final touches in a City shirt, likely to come via him striding off the bench and trying to make something happen. It’s understandable when you consider how hellish the last year has been for the Argentine, with injuries plaguing him so badly that he broke a one year drought just before the international break. 

At least that was one way of thinking and add Phil Foden to that mix during Project Restart and City really didn’t have a problem. Instead, they hounded and harassed teams although Jesus didn’t really showcase why he could replace Aguero. And therein lies the problem. The myth, or rather the thought process, is the fact that Pep Guardiola is a great man to have to sort out your offence. 

He’ll get any team on the planet, after some adjustment, to score goals at an absurd rate as Manchester City’s last three years have showcased with them netting 303 goals. That’s an average of 101 goals a season which, even in the modern age, is simply ridiculous and absurd especially in the Premier League. But again, that’s beside the point because part of the myth assumes the fact that Guardiola could create a great offence and that’s where he has fallen short.

But that second striker, aka David Villa, is Pep Guardiola’s only bonafide success when it comes to rebuilding an offense. Few will deny the Spanish forward his place in Barcelona history with him an integral part of that front three alongside Lionel Messi and Pedro. But it worked for a bit before Guardiola opted to push Cesc Fabregas forward and use him as a striker for a few games. Move over to Bayern Munich and once again, Guardiola is handed a treble-winning offensive line.

Now there is an argument to be made that Robert Lewandowski arrived a year into his tenure at the club but the deal, and the move, was in making for months with Guardiola playing a small part. The forward that Pep actually signed was Mario Gotze but once again that didn’t work out. Injuries, issues with form and what was later diagnosed as a metabolic disorder affected the German. But the evidence is there and then there is Gabriel Jesus at Manchester City. The Brazilian has done well for the club but that’s only when he has been used sparingly.

That isn’t exactly the worst thing to do especially when reports, rumours and random transfer stories indicate that their targets are some of the best forwards in the world. But that is a small problem when the manager they have has, in the past, managed to turn even the best players into nothing more than mere shadows of themselves. It’s a problem and one that Guardiola has to solve if he ever wants to effectively replace a man who for ten years, never dropped below the 20 goal mark season in and season out.

Especially when your top scorer, this season, happens to be a central midfielder and when someone who should be your best goal-threat is failing to get into the team. So much so, that the entire team had to be reshuffled and built around a staunch defense by a manager who thrives on playing offensive football. And then, to make things even worse, Jesus has seen his place taken over by midfielders with a rotational queue now acting as a forward line for Manchester City.

Especially, and to make things even worse, when someone who should be their second, or third given Aguero's positioning in the team, best goal-threat is now on the fringes of the team for some reason. It's a problem, especially when, Phil Foden lead the scoring charts for large portions of the season, and is still their fourth-highest goal-scorer so far this season. It’s a problem that Guardiola has always had trouble solving and now it feels like their only answer is Lionel Messi but even that is a gamble.

Even at 33-years old, there is little doubt that Messi could still do a job in the Premier League but the pressure and intensity of playing in a league with no winter break and with a clear physical difference between the La Liga makes it a gamble. Because no matter who Manchester City sign, the gamble is a big one and given that it is no ordinary mere mortal they are replacing but their greatest ever goal-scorer, the gamble is their future. And that is not a risk that City can afford especially not with the grandiose goals they have in mind.