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Pep Guardiola emphasises the importance of ‘reliable’ trio amid continued injury struggles
Pep Guardiola has stressed the significance of “reliable players” having seen his Manchester City side hampered by injuries so far this campaign.
City have had and continue to have key players sidelined this season and injuries have become an unwanted focal point of many of Guardiola’s press conferences this season.
And speaking ahead of his side’s clash with Brighton on Saturday, he said: “I would say that you have to have reliable players. This is more important.
“If you have Phil (Foden), Rico (Lewis) and Josko (Gvardiol).
“The guys that can play three days, that is important.”
In recent months, the Catalan has insisted that clubs will need larger squads to contend with the ever-inflating fixture lists. Today he reiterated: “Of course you will have to be a bigger squad, but not, I would say, huge.
“It is not sustainable economically, for the manager or for the players, to have a lot of players.
“Because what happens if you have one season with no injuries.
City’s boss continued: “What happened in the past, in the last eight or nine years, is that we were incredibly stable in terms of injuries. So, it is always so difficult.
“If I know that next season I will not have central defenders, then of course we have to have more in the squad.
“But if I have central defenders, I don’t want more central defenders.
“So who knows? If I know at the beginning of the season that the injuries are going to happen then bring me more players in the summer time. Go to the market and bring me players. But nobody knows.”
Throughout City’s poor form, Guardiola has consistently defended his players and their quality and did so again, adding: “I have the feeling right now that if we only had one or two injured, but the squad had been there, then maybe we would be playing in the Champions League right now, maybe we would be close to Liverpool and Arsenal.
“Last season the main group of this team won the Premier League again and made 51 from the last 57 points.
“We arrived to the FA Cup final. Arrived in a Champions League quarter-final where we played unbelievable against Madrid.
“We were good and I relied on the players. I am sorry, what is the problem? Because I relied on the players that have given me and given this club a lot.
“We should anticipate it? Yeah maybe, but who knows that.”
Looking ahead to the future, City’s manager declared: “Next season, John (Stones) will be there, Nathan (Ake) will be fine, Manu (Akanji) will be fine, Rodri will recover perfectly, Oscar (Bobb) will be back, I don’t know.
“Should we go and buy three more holding midfielders? Seven more central defenders? It is not about that.
“It is just to be lucky, take the right decisions, sometimes we don’t do that, and pray.”
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