According to Pep Guardiola, Manchester City's negative spiral is partly explained by the slaughter of injuries hitting the English club. Against Feyenoord, in the Champions League, the Spanish coach will still be deprived of important players this Tuesday (9 p.m.). .
Having been struggling for a month, Manchester City welcomes the Dutch from Feyenoord this Tuesday, in the Champions League. To revive after five consecutive defeats, including a final bitter setback (0-4) against Tottenham, Pep Guardiola's team will be able to count on Kevin De Bruyne, whom his coach should be able to start at the Etihad Stadium.
On the sidelines for several weeks due to a groin injury, the Belgian gradually returned to competition, first in the Champions League, against Sporting. Then he continued with bouts of matches in the Premier League, against Brighton (1-2) and against Tottenham (0-4). De Bruyne could start a match with the Skyblues for the first time since September 18 and a draw against Inter (0-0).
“The team is not ready”
This return to competition of the City master is good news for Pep Guardiola who does not often have the opportunity to rejoice lately. A painful slaughter of injuries hits its squad which will be further deprived of major players this evening. The Golden Ball Rodri and Mateo Kovacic will be absent at the Etihad, as will Oscar Bobb, while Ruben Dias, Jérémy Doku and John Stones, who did not train the day before unlike his partners, are uncertain against Feyenoord .
“You can manage (the absence of) one or two players, but not four or five in key positions”, lamented Pep Guardiola the day before, at a press conference, attributing part of the bad patch that the team is going through Manchester City to this avalanche of injuries.
“Give me back my players… you will see”, he declared on the microphone of the Dutch television channel Ziggo, on the sidelines of the meeting. “It is very difficult to be without four of your central defenders. Two midfielders are injured. Rodri, the best player in the world, is not there either. Three outfield players are injured. Give me back my players …you will see Man City!”
“I think the team, when the whole squad is there, is exceptional but, at this stage, the team is not ready,” he explained last weekend.
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