Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has confirmed that three of his defenders will miss the rest of the season due to injury concerns. City’s long awaited Champions League wait continues as Guardiola’s army failed to make it to the final, losing to Real Madrid in the second leg last week, having won 4-3 at the Etihad Stadium.
City thumped Newcastle 5-0 yesterday and they have extended their stay at the top of the pile to three points, with Liverpool playing out a one all draw against Spurs. Goals from Sterling(2),Foden, Rodri, and Aymeric Laporte secured three vital points for the blue army who are keen on winning the league in what could possibly go down as a title race to the very end with Liverpool.
With three defenders injured, Guardiola is concerned especially regarding their title pursuit, especially with the Reds close on their heels. Dias had to be substituted at half time in yesterday’s victory over the Magpies and skipper Fernandinho was his replacement. Dias just recently returned from a hamstring injury that had him side lined for nearly six weeks.
John Stones has been having a recurring problem in recent weeks and this has prompted Guardiola to make use of Dutch defender Nathan Ake to partner Laporte at centre-back. Stones has featured not only at centre-back but also as a right-back and a defensive midfielder this season. These injuries could well be deciding factors on who wins the Premier League this season.
Kyle Walker sustained an injury after the first leg against Real Madrid and was not deemed fit to play. However the 31-year-old featured in the first half of the second leg against Madrid at the Bernabau. Walker was taken off for Oleksandr Zinchenko and it seemed he had aggravated the injury which indeed he had.
With three very important games coming thick and fast for City, it is most likely we see the combination of Ake and Laporte at the heart of defence. It was clear Guardiola did not play Ake as he intends to have all his defenders well away from injury. Young right-back Egan-Riley replaced Joao Cancelo in the second half yesterday.
The Cityzens take on Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux Stadium and will still be on the road on Sunday when they travel to the capital to take on West Ham at the London Stadium. West Ham are desperate to make Europa League spots as they continue to try to unseat Manchester United who are currently sixth.
West Ham are three points behind United following their 0-4 thumping of already relegated Norwich City at Carrow Road yesterday. The race intensifies for who will be crowned Premier League champions on the 22nd of May, with the title race between Manchester City and Liverpool who are also relentless in their quest for a second league title in two years.
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