We are faced with very serious injury crisis and it’s not looking good – Pep Guardiola
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has expressed concern over the club’s growing injury crisis, acknowledging that the team will struggle but encouraging them to regroup for Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Sporting Lisbon.
City heads to Portugal following two consecutive defeats—against Tottenham in the League Cup and Bournemouth in the Premier League—which ended their impressive 11-month unbeaten streak in domestic play.
The injury list is led by Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, who is sidelined for the rest of the season with a knee injury. He is joined by Oscar Bobb, Ruben Dias, Jack Grealish, and John Stones. Additionally, Kevin De Bruyne, who has been out for seven weeks, may make his return but is unlikely to start. Other players, including Kyle Walker, Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji, Jeremy Doku, and Savinho, are also not fully fit.
“You know the situation with Rodri, who was recently named the best player in the world,” Guardiola said in a pre-match press conference. “We know we will struggle, and we have to accept that, and it is fine. The games will be challenging. In previous seasons, things went smoothly. Now, we face personal reasons, injuries, and the reality that we have won six Premier Leagues in seven years. Things change, and we must adapt.”
The game against Sporting will see Guardiola facing off against Ruben Amorim, who will soon become the manager of Manchester United. Sporting’s last encounter with City was in the 2021/22 Champions League Round of 16, where City triumphed with a 5-0 aggregate win.
Commenting on Sporting’s resilience, Guardiola said, “They have changed players, but the manager and mentality remain the same. Winning the league for the first time in 20 years and doing it again last season speaks volumes about the job he’s done.”
Bernardo Silva, who scored twice in the last meeting with Sporting, encouraged City to avoid using injuries as an excuse, despite the squad’s depleted state.
“With a full squad, we are undoubtedly stronger, but we have many exceptional players missing,” Silva said. “We haven’t had Kevin for six weeks, Rodri is out for the season, and several others are sidelined for shorter periods. But we never make excuses. That’s not what this club is about.”
Both Manchester City and Sporting Lisbon have started strong in the Champions League, each securing seven points from their first three games.
Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City looks on during the warm up prior to the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD1 match between Manchester…
Photo by Alex Pantling – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Manchester City slipped to their first Premier League defeat of the season against Bournemouth, and there were still no minutes for Kevin De Bruyne.
The Belgian has not played for Manchester City now for almost two months, after sustaining an injury in the first Champions League game against Inter.
City fans were initially led to believe that De Bruyne’s issue was only going to keep him out for short period.
But the 33-year-old has remained sidelined, and there has been a bit of confusion regarding his condition.
On Saturday though, fans were delighted to see De Bruyne back on the bench for City. However, Pep Guardiola opted not to use him in the end, which suggested he was simply filling a space and not actually ready to play.
But the Manchester City manager actually suggested this was not the case.
Guardiola says Kevin De Bruyne could have played against Bournemouth
Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City looks on whilst sat on the substitutes bench prior to the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Manch…
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
City fans are desperate to see De Bruyne back in City colours.
The team has been faltering in his absence, although results have remained fairly positive.
There just isn’t the same creativity and directness as when he plays and for many, his return cannot come soon enough.
That return might have actually come against Bournemouth, with Guardiola admitting De Bruyne could have featured.
He said after the game: “It has been one month and a half, the game was demanding. Maybe in the last 10, 15 minutes we could have done it.
“I try to take care of Kevin. When he comes back from five months injured last season, he came back and started minutes. He finished well, started well.
“We need him and he will be back and try to, in the right moment, do it…”
A surprising claim
It is interesting to hear Guardiola talk about how De Bruyne may actually have been able to play against Bournemouth.
Certainly, a lot of City fans will wonder why he was not put on, given the team had been so poor in the game and needed someone to provide a bit of creativity and impetus. Even a half-fit De Bruyne might have picked the lock in those final stages.
Perhaps the manager might have put him on had there been a scenario where City had been a few goals up.
Kevin De Bruyne for Man City (24/25)
Appearances – 6
Minutes played – 404
Goals – 1
Assists – 1
It was an intense game towards the end with City throwing the kitchen sink at the Cherries to try and get a result. It’s possible Guardiola felt the conditions were just not right for De Bruyne to play.
City fans will hope that £55 million star De Bruyne can play some part against Sporting CP on Tuesday and then again against Brighton. Then it’s the international break, after which fans will hope De Bruyne can be fully fit again.
Related Posts
Leave a Reply