Pep Guardiola has acknowledged Man City have “got a problem” with mounting long-term injuries after the champions suffered a glitch in their defence of their Premier League crown in their last two matches to see Liverpool emerging top of the table with a victory at Wolves on Saturday.
Guardiola – after seeing his side draw 1-1 with Newcastle at St James’ Park one week after drawing 2-2 with Arsenal – also saw Kevin De Bruyne missing from action and star striker Erling Haaland sustain an ankle injury, which cast doubts over his participation against Slovan Bratislava in the upcoming Champions League fixture.
However the serial award-winning manager is maintaining his usual calm demeanor despite a growing injury list, including long-term concerns for the likes of Oscar Bobb and Rodri, and chose instead to reflect on his lengthy tenure at the helm: “During seven, eight years, we have handled it, nine years, I would say this is my ninth season here. Always it’s been like that, so it’s the same, no change.”
“We have a problem this season with long, long injuries, especially with Oscar (Bobb), with Rodri for a long, long time and that is completely different to the past, but the schedules are the same.”
Guardiola has also been patient with Phil Foden’s return to full action for Manchester City, carefully managing his integration after illness. Foden’s influence remains invaluable according to the City boss despite limited starts this season, only featuring from the beginning in the Carabao Cup win against Watford.
Guardiola’s unwavering trust in Foden’s abilities was clear as he said: “The thing is he is playing, but Phil doesn’t need time. When he’s clever and fine, it’s not a problem. I know how important Phil is for us, so there’s no doubt about that.”
He further stressed the significance of Foden’s role: “It doesn’t matter if he starts or comes from the bench. With this amount of games, he will have his minutes, that’s for sure.”
The St James’ Park match was City’s first without Rodri since his season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury, leaving it to Mateo Kovacic, Rico Lewis and Silva stepping up to fill the void. Ilkay Gundogan, on his return, also gained more game time, adding depth to City’s midfield options.
As for Ilkay Gundogan, Pep Guardiola acknowledged that the 33-year-old German international has yet to return to his peak form following his stint at Barcelona last season. He said: “No, it will take time. He didn’t have a pre-season and he needs to get into the rhythm. He gives you something special, but he will take time.”