Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been advised that his squad needs big changes at the end of the season to get back to challenging for league titles.
Performances in all areas of the pitch were sloppy as City were beaten 2-0 by Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, but the defence was especially suspect.
City failed to react to Bruno Fernandes' clever free-kick in the 30th minute, allowing Anthony Martial to volley home to give the Red Devils the lead.
And Scott McTominay piled more misery on goalkeeper Ederson - who was beaten far too easily for the first goal - by striking home from 40 yards after the Brazilian threw the ball straight to him.
Former England striker Chris Sutton believes that there needs to be "significant surgery" for City to get back to the lofty standards they have set themselves in the last few seasons.
"They just don't have the same base at the back [as Liverpool ], while Ederson was so careless," the pundit wrote in his damning assessment of the visitors' performance in the Daily Mail .
"Despite their extensive spending, City's defence requires significant surgery. That is now seven defeats in 28 games in what has been an abysmal title defence, and it is little wonder Pep Guardiola looked so annoyed in his post-match interviews."
Sutton also singled out Ederson - who was responsible for both goals - for criticism, writing: "If City had conceded a worldie of a strike then you'd say far enough. But this opener was soft.
"You'd expect a top goalkeeper to stop Anthony Martial's shot but Ederson let it slip under him.
"The second goal came courtesy of another bad error by the Brazilian. He threw the ball straight into the path of Scott McTominay, who completed the scoreline with a lovely finish.
"But both of those goals were avoidable and they showed why this City side are so far adrift of Liverpool in the Premier League."
It wasn't just the defenders who were poor on the day, but City's attackers too, according to Sutton. "His forwards were disappointing on this occasion, too," he wrote.
"City dominated the ball against United but did distinctly little with it. This was a deserved defeat for the reigning champions."
