Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has expressed his worries, claiming that he has only 13 first-team players available.
The Cityzens suffered more injuries on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, as they were eliminated from the 4th round of the Carabao Cup after a 2-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur.
An injury-hit Manchester City’s set-up were already without Kyle Walker, Rodri, Oscar Bobb, Jeremy Doku, Kevin De Bruyne, and Jack Grealish for the fourth-round tie.
However, Manuel Akanji was withdrawn ahead of the game before Savinho was taken off on a stretcher in the second half of their clash with Spurs.
Ruben Dias also exited the fray in the second period, seemingly due to a knock, and Manchester City appeared to be in a tight corner.
Pep Guardiola Provides Answer To Question Regarding Manchester City’s Injury Crisis
Following the game, Guardiola was questioned on the injury crisis his squad look to be in and the Spanish tactician admitted that his side is in trouble.
Pep Guardiola said: “We have 13 players (available), so we are in real difficulty.
“The guys that play finish most of them with problems and we’ll see how they recover.
“Tomorrow we have two keepers and Erling Haaland for the training session, the rest, so we don’t have anything else.”
Manchester City return to action on Saturday, November 2, 2024, trading tackles with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
How Have Manchester City Fare Despite Being Plagued With Injuries?
The Cityzens looked to have weathered the storm despite being plagued with injuries, as they occupy the summit of the Premier League table.
Pep Guardiola’s side have amassed 23 points from 9 league matches this campaign, winning 7 matches and drawing 2.
Interestingly, their Carabao Cup 4th round defeat to Tottenham Hotspur was their first defeat of the campaign.
Guardiola opted to rest several players for the fixture despite the stature of the opposition they faced.
Bernardo Silva, Mateo Kovacic, and Josko Gvardiol started from the bench while Erling Haaland and Ederson Moraes were unused substitutes.
Why Did Erling Haaland Not Play Against Tottenham Hotspur?
Pep Guardiola was also questioned on the reason Haaland had no minutes in their Carabao Cup loss to Tottenham Hotspur and he said:
“The plan was not to play today. We have not had much recovery and it was a waste of energy.”
Erling Haaland is expected to return to Manchester City’s XI on Saturday, November 2, 2024, when they battle Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium as aforementioned.
The Cityzens have their eyes on several honors this season, but the Carabao Cup title is now out of the picture following their loss to Tottenham Hotspur.
It will be fascinating to see the trophies they would claim at the end of the 2024/25 season.
Manchester City Miss Out On Ruben Amorim
In the UEFA Champions League, they lock horns with Sporting Lisbon on November 5, 2024, and that clash is expected to witness Pep Guardiola tactically square up against Ruben Amorim, who is all but confirmed to be the next manager of Manchester United.
Manchester City were also understood to be courting Amorim as a potential replacement for Guardiola, whose contract expires in the summer of 2025.
