Pep Guardiola needs Manchester City stars to return as crisis mounts

LONDON – Pep Guardiola admitted troubled Manchester City will not recapture their peak form until his injury-plagued side are finally whole again.

The Spaniard’s side are fourth in the English Premier League standings before this weekend’s fixtures, reeling after a dismal run of one win in 10 games in all competitions as they head into their Dec 15 derby against Manchester United.

A 2-0 defeat at Juventus in the Champions League on Dec 11 left City in danger of failing to make the last 16, while they are languishing eight points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.

After winning an unprecedented four successive Premier League titles and six in the last seven seasons, City have looked more vulnerable than ever before in the Guardiola era.

The City boss attributed their stunning decline to injuries to key players, most notably Spain midfielder Rodri, who won the prestigious Ballon d’Or award earlier in 2024.

Rodri, who helped La Roja win Euro 2024 against England, is not expected back from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee for several months, although he has hinted he could feature at some point this season.

“What I want is my players back,” Guardiola told reporters on Dec 13. “The complete squad we had at the beginning of the season. My regret is that we don’t have these and not needing new ones.

“We have known it from the beginning, but Rodri is a Ballon d’Or player. We are playing without the best player in England last season. That is the problem.

“Not one other team plays with a central midfielder who has a Ballon d’Or. It is difficult. The moment he comes back, we will be strong again. We will be a good team. Of course, we still have to try and play the same way and to win. Sooner or later, we are going to be back.”

With City mired in such a woeful period, the champions have been linked with new signings in the January transfer window.

On the day City announced record Premier League revenues of £715 million (S$1.2 billion), Guardiola did not rule out the possibility when it was put to him that reinforcements were needed to save their season.

“If we need players then we go to the transfer market but I don’t know who is around,” he said.

“Massive congratulations on the accounts because the club must be sustainable. That doesn’t mean we have big resources to buy whatever we want, especially with how expensive the transfer market is.”

Beating United at the Etihad Stadium would be a significant boost to Guardiola’s hopes of ending City’s spiral.

The 53-year-old, who recently signed a new two-year contract, vowed to solve City’s crisis eventually and claimed he was not feeling under pressure.

“As a manager, you are in scrutiny for every step of the team. But I am fine,” he said.

“We have to shoot more and cut out the mistakes. But we have been in the games. We have not been consistent for the 90 minutes, but I know the reason why. We just have to keep working and moving forward.”

Adding to his mounting problems, Swiss defender Manuel Akanji has been ruled out of the derby with a pelvic injury.

On the other side of town, United are almost at full strength for the clash but have other issues at hand.

The Red Devils have won just three of Ruben Amorim’s six games in charge and are languishing in 13th place, after recent losses to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest underlined the extent of the rebuilding job he faces.

Some players, like Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee, have not adapted to their new manager’s tactics, while some individual errors – goalkeeper Andre Onana was responsible for two mistakes in successive games in the past week – have also blunted optimism at Old Trafford.

On top of that, fitness levels and set-piece defending are issues the team face as a collective. These concerns have even overshadowed City’s own crisis.

“I never think about these things,” Amorim said of City’s woes. “We will face a great opponent, and I’m more focused on our problems. We have a lot of issues here. I’m more focused on what we should do on Sunday to win the game, so I’m really focused on my team.”

Asked if United are facing a different, weaker City, he said: “No, no, no, no. The great teams can respond in any moment, and they are in a better place than us in the type of understanding the game, the way they play, the confidence they have. Even in these kinds of moments.”

Amorim can take some confidence going into the derby, having masterminded a 4-1 Champions League triumph over City as coach of Sporting Lisbon on Nov 5, just six days before he took over the reins at United.

There were rumours that City were courting the 39-year-old as a possible replacement for Guardiola, but the Portuguese took the opportunity to quash the speculation, saying: “Never. Never had and this was my only option.

“When Manchester United talked to me, I had no doubts because I had already something in my mind that it could be a possibility.” AFP