Pep Guardiola has mentioned accidents may result in Manchester Metropolis doing extra enterprise in January after confirming centre-back Ruben Dias is out for as much as six weeks with a hamstring downside.
Metropolis have additionally misplaced one other centre-back with Josko Gvardiol set to bear surgical procedure after struggling a leg fracture within the 1-1 draw in opposition to Chelsea.
Manchester Metropolis’s Josko Gvardiol leaves the pitch with assist from Chelsea’s Reece James after selecting up an harm
Sky Sports activities Information understands discussions will happen at Metropolis about probably fast-tracking summer season plans to signal a defender in January which may carry Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi into rivalry.
Guardiola says there will likely be no repeat of the £176m January spend of final 12 months however shouldn’t be ruling out including to his squad to deal with the mounting harm issues.
Requested if Metropolis will go huge once more in January because of the defensive accidents, he mentioned: “No. Maybe we get something but it is completely different. We are not going to buy four or five players like last season.”
On Dias’ harm, Guardiola mentioned: “Hamstring. Four to six weeks.”
Manchester Metropolis’s Ruben Dias picked up a hamstring harm throughout the 1-1 draw in opposition to Chelsea
Metropolis have already recalled younger centre-back Max Alleyne from Watford for further cowl with John Stones “not ready for the next games”, based on Guardiola.
The Metropolis boss at present has solely Nathan Ake, Abdukodir Khusanov and the 20-year-old Alleyne obtainable at centre-back. Alleyne has but to play a senior recreation for Metropolis.
Metropolis play Brighton tomorrow at house within the Premier League earlier than internet hosting Exeter Metropolis within the FA Cup third-round.
Wednesday seventh January 6:00pm
Kick off 7:30pm
Might defensive points price Man Metropolis the title?
Sky Sports activities’ Laura Hunter:
Pep Guardiola had discovered a settled formulation on the again this season, naming the identical defensive 4 to start out in 12 of 20 video games up to now. Of these 12 video games, 10 resulted in victory – the one defeat being a 2-1 loss at Newcastle.
With Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias on the coronary heart of issues, Metropolis have two athletic centre-backs who can play, and stability the left and proper sides completely.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Manchester Metropolis’s match in opposition to Chelsea within the Premier League
However here is the place issues come up. Metropolis’s stability relies on that mixture – Dias-Gvardiol flanked by Nico O’Reilly and Matheus Nunes – being match and obtainable. They’re not.
Each Dias and Gvardiol limped out of Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea and it made Guardiola’s facet significantly weaker, significantly extra weak. They conceded floor after which a late equaliser.
Talking on his podcast, Gary Neville mentioned Metropolis’s makeshift again 4 may price them a run on the title: “I look at that City back four and that concerns me, that is not going to win a title.”
With Dias out for as much as six weeks, Gvardiol sidelined for the foreseeable future and John Stones additionally out, Metropolis are gentle on the bacl.
It leaves a giant gap that Guardiola doesn’t have the personnel to fill, and with seven video games throughout 4 completely different competitions within the month of January alone, that could be a huge downside.
