Manchester City let slip a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with in-form Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola’s men were excellent in the first half, but it was in the second where they benefitted from two uncharacteristic Hugo Lloris errors to open up a 2-0 lead.

However, goals from Dele Alli and Son Heung-min once again exposed City’s defensive vulnerabilities, and it now means that the Citizens have won just one of their last four Premier League matches, and only seven since they lost 2-0 to Spurs back on October 1.

It now means that City’s slim title chances are all but over, as they now trail leaders Chelsea by 12 points after the Blues got past a stubborn Hull 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.

The battle will now be to secure a Champions League spot for City next season, something they have done for the last six seasons, yet neighbours Manchester United, and the likes of Liverpool, Spurs, and Arsenal, will all have their own top four ambitions.

Thus, Guardiola may need to strengthen his squad this month in a bid to finish in the top four and, unsurprisingly, they have been linked with several high-profile names over the past few weeks.

So, here is what the IDEAL Man City XI could look like come the end of the month…

Ederson

Claudio Bravo came in to be Guardiola’s first choice goalkeeper at the start of the season, but he has been far from convincing.

Although he has improved with his feet (he couldn’t have got much worse given his poor debut against Manchester United), the 33-year-old has not been good enough in the shot-stopping department this season, and too often he cannot be relied upon to bail City out when needed.

Thus, Guardiola may try and bring in another goalkeeper, and one he is reportedly looking at is Benfica’s Ederson.

The 23-year-old has started 13 of their 18 Primeira Liga games this season, and in that time has kept an impressive nine clean sheets, and conceded just six goals.

He’s clearly one for the future, yet Guardiola needs him for the present, and may table a bid this month to bring his man to Manchester.

Bacary Sagna

Full-backs are a clear area of concern for Guardiola, yet Bacary Sagna is probably the best of the lot, and will likely keep his place for the rest of the campaign.

The Frenchman missed a chunk of the season with injury, but started off back in August as an ideal right-back for Guardiola, given how well he played in the manager’s system, most notably in the middle of the park.

However, at the age of 33, Sagna’s best years are behind him, and you sense that if Guardiola has his way, he’d try and focus on the long-term and bring someone in at his expense.

Nonetheless, with more pressing concerns, the City boss may keep faith with Sagna for the rest of the season before his contract expires in the summer.

Virgil van Dijk

It’s not just at full-back where City have issues, they also have them at the heart of the defence.

Vincent Kompany is persistently injured, Aleksandar Kolarov is just not good enough, while Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones always have an error in them.

Thus, Guardiola should do all he can to bring Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk to the Etihad Stadium.

The Dutch international has been excellent at the back for the Saints this season, and has arguably been the best centre-back in the league thus far.

He has everything needed to be a successful centre-half in English football, as he is strong aerially and in the tackle, reads the game well, organises his defence at crosses and set pieces, and is also excellent with the ball at his feet.

City need quality defenders to sustain a title challenge, and van Dijk is certainly one of those.

Nicolas Otamendi

Deciding between Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones is far from easy, yet you sense that, as a defender, Otamendi is better, and thus would probably get the nod.

The Argentine defender had a reasonably solid start to the campaign, but has found things tricky in the last few weeks, and was run ragged by Diego Costa and Chelsea back on December 3.

However, it has been Otamendi that has been the regular feature in an ever-changing City defence this season, so Guardiola clearly rates him as a defender, while Stones has had to make-do with a few substitute appearances in recent weeks.

Clearly, Otamendi is prone to the odd error but, if he can begin to cut them out, he’s a good defender for City.

David Alaba

Gael Clichy is probably past his best while Aleksandar Kolarov has never been a great defender, so Guardiola is likely to want a new left-back in January.

Thus, he may make a move for David Alaba, whom he worked with at Bayern Munich in seasons gone by.

The 24-year-old has been linked with a move to the Etihad to reunite with Guardiola, having spent three years at Bayern together, and it’s a move the City boss should certainly try and make happen.

Alaba is one of the world’s best full-backs, but can also play at centre-half and in midfield, so not only would Guardiola be getting a quality full-back, he’s be getting an accomplished defender and midfielder.

The Austrian international will know exactly what Guardiola wants from his full-backs and, given their success together at Bayern, he is obviously very good at it, so if they can get a deal done this month, it was be an excellent addition to the City squad.

Fernandinho

Although Fernandinho has had some disciplinary issues this season (he has been sent off three times in his last six appearances), the Brazilian international has been crucial to City’s success in recent years.

The 31-year-old moved to Manchester in 2013 from Shakhtar Donetsk, and immediately set about making the midfield spot his own by going on to make 33 Premier League appearances in their title-winning campaign of 2013/14.

He has been a mainstay in the City midfield ever since, as he makes things tick in the middle of the park, be it breaking up play and helping out defensively, or when he goes on driving runs forward and helps launch attacks.

Clearly, the discipline is a concern, yet if he goes back to doing what he does best, and indeed did well at the start of the campaign, he’ll be an invaluable member of Guardiola’s team for a while yet.

Yaya Toure

At 33 years of age, Yaya Toure still has something to offer Manchester City, and Guardiola should stick by him for the remainder of the campaign.

The former Ivorian international was excluded from the squad at the start of the season due to disagreements between Guardiola and his agent, yet he was brought back in to the team for the trip to Crystal Palace back in November, and netted a brace in a man-of-the-match display.

His contract runs out at the end of the campaign but, with Ilkay Gundogan out injured until the summer, Guardiola will need Toure’s strength and vision, as well as the odd lung-bursting run, in the middle of the park.

The 33-year-old is still a quality player who has experience of success in England – he still has something to offer.

Kevin De Bruyne

Kevin De Bruyne has been excellent since returning to England with Manchester City, and will be a key player for the club for many years to come.

The Belgian international left Chelsea in 2014 in a bid to reach his full potential, and a fine season at Wolfsburg where he netted 16 goals in 51 games saw City splash out £55 million on him in 2015.

And, it has been money well spent as the 25-year-old scored 16 goals in his first season at the Etihad and, although he hasn’t been as prolific this term, his tally of nine assists is the most of anyone in the Premier League thus far.

A fine display against Tottenham on Saturday was demonstrative of De Bruyne’s quality in the important matches, and City will need his attacking prowess and creative intelligence as the season progresses, and indeed for many seasons to follow.

David Silva

Going forward hasn’t been too much of an issue for City this season, and it’s no wonder when you’ve got someone like David Silva in your side.

The Spanish international moved to Manchester in 2010, and has since scored 36 goals and laid on 61 assists in 206 Premier League games – a stellar contribution.

The 31-year-old is technically as good as anyone in the league, as he is always able to find little pockets of space and indeed thread passes through the smallest of gaps.

Silva’s quality in the final third is sensational, and he’ll often be involved in the majority of City’s best attacking play.

Alexis Sanchez

It would quite the coup if City were able tempt Alexis Sanchez away from Arsenal this month.

The Chilean has yet to agree a new and improved deal at the Emirates Stadium, but this season has arguably been his best in England yet having scored 17 goals in just 28 appearances in all competitions.

There have been clear signs of frustration though from the 28-year-old, his reaction after the Bournemouth game earlier this month and indeed to being substituted against Swansea emphasise that, so there are suggestions that he’s not hugely satisfied with things at Arsenal, and thus why he hasn’t agreed a new deal.

Sanchez is playing the best football of his Arsenal career to date, and the chance to reunite with Guardiola may be of interest to the forward, so City must try and tempt the Premier League’s joint top-scorer away from North London.

Sergio Aguero

Many will look at Sergio Aguero’s performances this season and say that he’s not having a great campaign at City, yet the statistics suggest otherwise.

The Argentine international has scored 18 goals in just 24 appearances for the club this term, and 11 of those have come in just 16 Premier League games.

However, there are vibes that Aguero isn’t entirely satisfied with life under Guardiola this season, and his future was subject to speculation last year when he was left out of the City side that played Barcelona at the Nou Camp in the Champions League.

Nonetheless, it doesn’t appear that Aguero is going anywhere anytime soon, and having a player of his calibre in your side can only benefit City as the season goes on.