Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola openly admitted after the 1–1 draw with Chelsea that injuries among the team’s defenders have turned into a “checklist.” According to the coach, the most painful issue right now is the lack of players and the growing number of academy graduates on the bench.
Guardiola stressed that he does not know exactly how many months John Stones will be out, that Ruben Dias has also picked up an injury, and that Josko Gvardiol cannot play. He added that it had been known beforehand that Nathan Aké “wouldn’t be able to play regularly” either.
According to the manager, this season’s situation brings back last year’s scenario: “we’ll be resilient, we’ll find a solution.” At the same time, he did not hide his concern and recalled that there were three academy players on the bench against Chelsea.
On strengthening the back line through winter transfers, Guardiola said there is no drastic decision yet, but the next steps will be determined as the situation develops. He emphasized that the Dias–Gvardiol partnership helped bring the team to its current level, so their absence is a major loss.
City will play their next match on 7 January against Brighton.
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