Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards were all in agreement with what went wrong for Manchester City as they lost 3-2 to Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final.
Through injury and rotation Pep Guardiola named a slightly weaker starting XI to the one that drew 2-2 with Liverpool a week before in the Premier League, and the Reds took full advantage as they raced into a three-goal lead at Wembley. City did make for an entertaining finish to the game with a goal in the closing stages after Jack Grealish had pulled one back at the start of the second-half.
But the score didn't reflect the game, and City were well beaten by Jurgen Klopp's side who will now play in their second final of the season, with the quadruple still alive. And Lineker and BBC Sport pundits Shearer and Richards have all agreed on what went wrong for City on Saturday.
City started the game with Raheem Sterling as a lone-striker, and Grealish was handed a central role in behind, as opposed to his usual left-wing spot. Phil Foden and Gabriel Jesus were stuck out wide, but City failed to really test Liverpool, as their lack of killer instinct in and around the penalty area cost them once more.
Guardiola's side failed in their pursuit of Harry Kane last summer, and have done exceptionally well to sit top of the Premier League and make the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the Champions League without a striker. But it does hold them back at times, and it proves how deadly they could be if they signed a no.9.
And Richards thinks that City need a plan B, as he said: "I think when City lose everyone says 'they need a striker'. I agree that should be thrown in the mix as a plan B. Man City are so good because of the midfielders running into spaces, making space for other players."
Lineker feels as though City know themselves that they need a no.9, as he added: "Everyone says City need a striker, they went for Harry Kane last season, they're going to go for [Erling] Haaland this season. So it seems the club and Pep agree."
And Richards is convinced that if Kane or Haaland were up front against Liverpool, it would have been a very different result. The former City defender said: "It's just the difference, you've got Haaland here, they'll change it up a bit.
"Sometimes you know what City are going to do, with a striker you can have a difference in there. Talk about being clinical, if that's Harry Kane or Haaland going through there, no disrespect [to Jesus], you'd expect it to be a goal."
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As a former world class striker, Shearer knows how important the role is to inspire success, and the former Newcastle star thinks that City currently waste too many chances. Shearer added: "When you get to this stage of the season and you're playing such important matches, those little chances make all the difference.
"World-class strikers take those chances, that's why he wanted Harry Kane, that's why he wants Haaland and will probably get him." Should City sign Haaland, they'd have the complete team, and their recent domination could be set to continue.
But Liverpool are vowing to stop that this season, and after already winning the Carabao Cup earlier this year, the quadruple is still on. If Liverpool are to beat Villarreal in the Champions League semi-final, they will play every game possible in a single season, showing just how impressive they have been this campaign.
