Former Tottenham midfielder turned TV pundit Jermaine Jenas has criticised Pep Guardiola for Manchester City 's defensive issues this season.
Aymeric Laporte's knee injury dealt City a huge blow in September and the team has suffered in his absence, with Guardiola's men 17 points behind Liverpool ahead their trip to Arsenal on Sunday.
The Blues have conceded 19 goals in 16 league matches and Jenas feels that Guardiola must change his approach at the back by moving Fernandinho back into a midfield role.
"I lean towards biting the bullet and getting your most important players back to where they play," Jenas told BBC Radio 5 live .
"Fernandinho is just as important as Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne when it comes to that holding role. Him not being there has allowed a lot of teams to pass their way through Manchester City. I would argue defensively he hasn't been as secure as Pep would have expected.
"If you already don't trust John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi, then one hundred percent you should have been going into the transfer market."
Jenas also feels that Guardiola's decision to not keep Vincent Kompany around for an extra season is having a detrimental impact.
"I know that he wanted two years and for me personally they shouldn't have let him go," Jenas added. "They should have gone to find a top centre-half to replace him."
