Muhammad Awwal AbubakarPep Guardiola has raised serious concerns over Manchester City’s lack of squad depth, declaring his team has “13 players” and are in “trouble” following their League Cup defeat against Tottenham on Wednesday.
The situation took a worst turn when defender Manuel Akanji sustained a calf injury during the warm-up, leaving City already missing six first-team players ahead of the game.
The match took a further toll when forward Savinho was carried off on a stretcher in the 63rd minute after appearing to twist his ankle.
In addition, defender Ruben Dias was substituted at half-time, with Guardiola admitting the player is “struggling” at times due to fatigue.
“We have 13 players, we are in real difficulties,” Guardiola lamented. “The guys that play, they finish most of them with problems and we’ll see how they recover.
I think we are in trouble, because in nine years we’ve never been in the situation with so many injuries.” the coach lament
The list of absentees is getting worse. Defensive midfielder Rodri will miss the rest of the season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament back in September during a clash with North London club Arsenal.
Meanwhile, attacking midfielder Oscar Bobb is also sidelined with a fractured leg, which Guardiola previously estimated would keep him out for “three or four months.”
Kevin de Bruyne, who endured five months on the sidelines last season due to surgery, is currently out with a thigh issue so far.
Guardiola recently expressed uncertainty about when De Bruyne would be fit to return, stating he “didn’t know.”
Full-back Kyle Walker is nursing a knee injury, and wingers Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish have also been unavailable for selection, with Doku unlikely to return before the international break in November.
The grim situation prompted Guardiola to highlight his squad’s lack of numbers, noting the limited bench he had to work with in recent matches.
Against Southampton and Sparta Prague, he could only name seven substitutes, which even included two goalkeepers for the latter match.
“Tomorrow we have two goalkeepers and Erling Haaland in the training session,” he said after the loss to Tottenham. “The rest, we don’t have anything else.”
With the most of the first team squad out injured only few experienced players available for the Manchester club who are hoping to contest for more silverwares this season.
Defenders: Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Rico Lewis, John Stones, and Josh Wilson-Esbrand.
Midfielders: Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan, Mateo Kovacic, James McAtee, Matheus Nunes, and Bernardo Silva.
Forwards: Erling Haaland.
This totals 13 outfield players, including Wilson-Esbrand, who has yet to make a first-team appearance.
The impact of these injuries could be effective to teams performance. Prior to the match against Tottenham, Guardiola had expressed hope that his team could get through without additional casualties.
Although City lost, the younger players displayed promise, exemplified by a near-equalizer from 19-year-old Nico O’Reilly, saved only by an impressive defensive block.
Despite currently sitting top of the Premier League and remaining unbeaten in Europe, City’s exit from the League Cup raises questions about their ability to compete across multiple fronts. Guardiola has been clear, if his injured stars do not return soon, the team will struggle this season.
“If these guys don’t come back as quickly as possible, we’ll struggle, because we cannot sustain with just 14, 15 players for the season,” he warned. “We need the players to come back.”
Muhammad Awwal Abubakar
