Stephen Warnock fears for Manchester City without former captain Vincent Kompany
"You look at Manchester City's bench at the back, it's not strong enough and defences win you titles ... so I fear for Manchester City"
Monday 16 September 2019 12:05, UK
Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock says he is worried about Manchester City's defence, describing some of the players as "not strong enough."
City suffered their first defeat of the season as Norwich beat them 3-2 at Carrow Road.
They were without centre-back Aymeric Laporte who will miss five to six months after having knee surgery.
Warnock told Sky Sports News: "You look at Manchester City's bench at the back, it's not strong enough and defences win you titles.
"The players that Liverpool have got to come into their attack will always win them games, they are more than capable of scoring goals.
"So I fear for Manchester City, I always worried that [Vincent] Kompany leaving would be a big loss to them, not only on the pitch but in and around the training ground, the mentality and understanding he has.
"He didn't play many games for City, but it was the big games when he was needed."
City's shock defeat to Norwich has left them five points behind Liverpool in the Premier League table, and Warnock is impressed with the strength of Jurgen Klopp's team.
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"Everyone always says, when Liverpool lose one of their front three, they're in big trouble because they won't score goals. I look at it the other way around.
"I think Liverpool's cover in defence - they've got [Dejan] Lovren, they've got [Joe] Gomez - who are sat on the bench who aren't playing and who are more than capable of playing in the first team quite comfortably."
John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi started the match against Norwich, but their manager Pep Guardiola dismissed suggestions his side have a glaring weakness in their defence.
He told Sky Sports after the defeat: "It's a partnership that has played a lot. We've got Fernandinho and Rodri who can play there in other situations and it's not a worry. Things happen."
