Manchester City, the league winners from the past 4 seasons, currently sit just two points behind leaders Liverpool 10 games into their title defence.
Their injury list, however, could prove pivotal to their season, potentially opening the door for teams such as current leaders Liverpool and runners-up of the past two seasons Arsenal, who finished just two points behind City last season, to take advantage of Guardiola’s misfortune.
After their 2-1 loss at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday night, which saw them exit the Carabao Cup in the Round of 16, Guardiola voiced his concern over the limited 13 fit players in his current squad.
In reality, six of the supposedly injured players were in the squad for the defeat to Bournemouth, but that in itself may have been a poor call from the usually impeccable City manager.
Tired legs and a lack of rhythm may well be down to the unusually high number of injuries the champions are experiencing at the moment.
A huge injury blow for Manchester City came when Rodri, the since Ballon d’Or 2024 winner, ruptured his ACL, leaving him out of action for the remainder of the season.
A second long-term absence that is problematic for City is that of Oscar Bobb, who suffered a leg fracture in August.
Key man Kevin de Bruyne is also sidelined with a thigh injury and is joined by England international Kyle Walker, who is out of action with a knee injury. To add to this, Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku are also bouncing in and out of fitness.
Adding to the crisis, their midweek EFL Cup tie against Tottenham Hotspur saw Savinho stretchered off in the 63rd minute and Akanji struggling in the warm-up with a muscular issue which saw Dias take his place in the starting lineup.
Although the City boss can call on youth players, having just over 13 fit senior players will no doubt be a huge concern for the title defenders, a problem weighing heavily on Guardiola’s mind.
City remained unbeaten despite Rodri's absence up until their clash with Bournemouth on Saturday, and will likely face another tough test away to in-form Brighton next weekend.
A far more daunting test awaits the Premier League Champions in Europe on Tuesday; Ruben Amorim will take charge of his final home game as Sporting Lisbon manager before moving to Manchester himself to take charge of United.
A key date for this season’s title contention is on the horizon, with Manchester City travelling to Anfield on the first day of December. Before this fixture, City are also due to face Brighton, who haven't lost at home in this Premier League season, and Spurs, the side that knocked them out of the EFL Cup midweek.
These have the potential to be defining fixtures in City’s season as, up against some of the sides that have proven their strength this season, the lack of availability and depth in the current squad may become an issue for Guardiola, potentially seeing his grip on top flight of English football slip.
Liverpool, ahead of hosting City in December, will be looking closely at this, and this is something that Arsenal can be looking at as well, after finishing a close second to City last season.
Having already drawn with City this campaign, they have shown that they are a potential side of threat to the title holders, and, with just the two defeats this season, they could be another side looking to benefit from the top-of-the-league injury misfortune.
In this, fixture congestion, a topical issue, could play a huge part, as fatigue may creep in as City attempt to navigate their injury crisis and, as Guardiola has addressed, it's not possible to maintain the highest standard across multiple competitions with their lack of players.
Therefore, Guardiola’s fear over the current injury crisis may present a golden opportunity for the league’s other competitive sides to begin to apply the pressure, and, although there’s still a long way to go in the competition, the opportunity to capitalise on City’s vulnerabilities could be defining for the season.
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