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#3 Off-colour Kevin de Bruyne fails to stamp authority on the game for Manchester City
Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne was named the PFA Player of the Year last season and rightly so, as the Belgium international was head and shoulders above every other player in the league.
This season, the 29-year-old has, however, struggled to match his previous standards and is a long way off his displays of previous campaigns.
Perhaps the sheer number of matches he has played is starting to take a toll on his body, or maybe he has suffered from the absence of familiar faces like Aguero, Silva, and Sane around him, but Kevin de Bruyne has yet to truly kick into top-gear this season.
Last week, Pep Guardiola admitted that he could not afford to rest the former Chelsea man, as he is integral to how Manchester City play on the field but he might have to reconsider on the evidence of recent displays.
On his day, Kevin de Bruyne is unarguably the standout attacking midfielder in the world and there have been glimpses of his quality throughout the season but he has not showcased his abilities on a regular enough basis.
Against Newcastle, he put up one of his most sub-par performances in a long while and failed to impact the game in the manner we have grown accustomed to in the last few years.
Nevertheless, he remains a player of extraterrestrial abilities and it is only a matter of time before he hits top gear and once again starts controlling games with consummate ease.
#2 John Stones and Ruben Dias partnership looking incredibly impenetrable with each passing week
For all their attacking brilliance in the past, Manchester City struggled at the back, especially last season where the absence of Aymeric Laporte through injury saw Guardiola constantly changing and shuffling his backline.
John Stones struggled to impress and it was widely believed that he was on his way out of the club, but the England international has rallied to become a mainstay of the first team.
His partnership with Ruben Dias in the center of defence has seen the club keep five consecutive clean sheets in the Premier League and their understanding with one another has kept the previously untouchable Laporte out of the starting lineup.
Manchester City currently boast the best defensive record in the league, with just 12 goals conceded (despite playing one game fewer) and considering their current struggles in attack, this new-found defensive resoluteness would be of utmost importance if they are to achieve their objectives.
#1 Etihad nightmare continues for Newcastle United
It is safe to say that Manchester City are not Newcastle's favourite opponents and their recent record at the Etihad Stadium is truly woeful.
This 2-0 defeat means that they have now lost at the Etihad on 12 consecutive visits, and even more worrying for fans is the fact that at no point during the game did the Tyne outfit look like snapping their miserable run.
Although the scoreline was more presentable than the 5-0 trashing they received on their last visit here, it does not negate the fact that the Etihad Stadium has become a daunting ground to visit for Newcastle.
