Guardiola laments injury issues for City after Spurs loss

Pep Guardiola conceded Manchester City are in a “difficult position” with injuries after their 2-1 EFL Cup defeat to Tottenham on Wednesday.

Timo Werner and Pape Sarr did the damage in the first half of the fourth-round tie, though Matheus Nunes reduced the deficit on the stroke of half-time.

That came after Manuel Akanji was forced to withdraw from the lineup through a warm-up injury, while Savinho left the pitch on a stretcher after the interval.

Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker, Rodri, Jeremy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne are the other first-team options out injured, and Guardiola cut a concerned figure at the full-time whistle.

“We are in a difficult position with the amount of players,” the Man City boss told Sky Sports. “It is what it is. It is normal. The limit of players is there.

“We will see on Thursday [for Savinho’s injury]. Jack Grealish and Kyle Walker [have] no chance to play the next games.”

Thank you for your brilliant support tonight

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— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 30, 2024

City hold a one-point lead over Liverpool at the Premier League summit before the champions visit Bournemouth on Saturday.

Guardiola was, at least, encouraged by the performances of his youngsters, with James McAtee and Nico O’Reilly both starting at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“Exceptional. The young players did well,” he added. “They are so fast, and I am really pleased.

“If you play a game that quickly, they attack quicker. Of course, in the second half, there were transitions. They could have finished the game.

Guardiola opted to leave Erling Haaland on the bench throughout, suggesting it was not worth risking City’s key talisman.

“The plan was not to play today,” Guardiola confirmed on Haaland. “We have not had much recovery, and it was a waste of energy.”