Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has expressed concern about his team’s squad depth after they lost two more players to injury in the Carabao Cup defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. The Spaniard said he had not been without so many key players since taking charge of City in 2016.
Manchester City Lose 2 Players in First Defeat of the Season Against Tottenham
Reigning English champions Manchester City succumbed to their first defeat of the 2024-25 season on Wednesday night (October 30), losing 2-1 to Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup Round of 16. It was City’s first defeat in all competitions since the 2-1 loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup final last season.
The Carabao Cup encounter also brought fresh injury concerns to Man City boss Guardiola, with him losing two more players on Wednesday. Manuel Akanji pulled out of the game after reporting a hamstring problem during warm-up. Savinho, meanwhile, came off the field on a stretcher after suffering a nasty ankle injury in the 63rd minute.
Pep Guardiola Says Man City Is in Trouble
Reacting to fresh injury concerns after the game, Guardiola said (via Euro Sport):
“We are 13 players [available], so we are in real difficulty.
“We had to make the effort last week because the guys who played, most of them finished with problems. We will see how the recovery [goes]. We are in trouble, because in nine years we’ve never been in a situation with [this] many, many injuries for many reasons.”
The Spaniard then commended his players for giving their all to help the team during the ongoing injury crisis.
He added:
“The players make a step forward, they are more together than ever. And we will try to do [so] this week in this short time for recovery.
“It’s been getting more difficult, game by game. But maybe one day will arrive where we will be all together. So that’s why the guys who are here, they’re making an effort to be with us, fighting to be with us and playing with pain and focus and living 24 hours for us. These guys, I will not forget it.”
City went into the Carabao Cup clash without Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder Rodri (ACL, out for the season), Oscar Bobb (fractured leg), Kyle Walker (knee), Kevin De Bruyne (thigh), Jeremy Doku (unknown), and Jack Grealish (knock). Erling Haaland was also an unused substitution, as Guardiola cannot afford to overwork his talisman.