Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been fuming with the packed schedule following the Premier League game against Burnley. The team saw their $76 million veteran midfielder take an early exit from the game due to recurring ligament issues. While Manchester City managed to win the game 3-0, they lost a crucial player to their campaign in the process.
Following the game, the Spaniard blasted soccer authorities FIFA and UEFA over a cluster-packed schedule. Guardiola’s anger was off the roof as he went all in for the authorities, asking how many injuries would it take before they fix their system.
Manchester City likely to lose Kevin De Bruyne for the upcoming months
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Treble winners, Manchester City have been hit with a massive blow right at the start of their new campaign. Belgian midfielder and star Kevin De Bruyne had to be taken off the field during the first half of City’s season opener as the player was seen struggling with his fitness.
Following the game, Guardiola provided an update on the extent of Kevin De Bruyne’s injury. The Manchester City boss seemed pissed off as he slammed UEFA and FIFA for not providing teams with ample time between two games. Guardiola informed the press that De Bruyne will be needing surgery and could be out for months.
“It sucks. He’s a really important player to us. I think he’ll need surgery. We’ll lose him for months. He is a very special player, with a very distinct talent, his connections with [Erling] Haaland, but it is what it is”, as compiled by Marca.
“My first pre-season, I had 25 days to prepare for the first official match against Skonto Riga to qualify for the Champions League that we eventually won. Now, they give you four, five days, and then look at how many ACLs.”
Pep Guardiola isn’t the first manager this season who has spoken on the packed fixtures. Fellow managers Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti have also slammed authorities in the past over their schedules. With the $60 million rich star out for the next few months, Pep Guardiola will once again have to dig deep to plan his strategies.
Pep Guardiola forced to dig deep as Manchester City suffer injury blow
Kevin De Bruyne’s injury has come off as a massive blow for Manchester City, this early in the season. The team already has cornerstone defenders Ruben Dias and John Stones on the sidelines. The addition of KDB on the injury list makes things worse for the side.
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However, if someone can navigate past the issue of keeping his side operating at the best level, it’s Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard is a known tactician and has a good squad depth at Manchester City, which will somewhat loosen his burden. With the likes of Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, and Cole Palmer at his disposal, Guardiola could tinker with his formations.
The recent game against Sevilla saw Guardiola play a standard 4-3-3 formation. Rodri operated as the CDM, while Foden and the new signing Mateo Kovacic were slotted in as CMs. Manchester City is set to face a tough opposition in Newcastle United in their upcoming game. It will be interesting to see the approach Pep Guardiola takes heading into the fixture.
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What formation do you think Pep Guardiola should play in the upcoming game against Newcastle United? Do let us know in the comments below.