Manchester City: Back to Full Strength Soon

Manchester City have struggled since injuries ravaged their midfield, but all that looks to change and it couldn’t come at a better time.

Injuries in football are the ultimate, foolproof excuse. Used to be the referee and his, seemingly impossible, bias towards whatever team you happen to follow, but we have statistics and replays and whatnot for that sort of thing these days. Doesn’t stop them from never awarding Manchester City a thing, but I digress. No, injuries take the crown. Managed to beat us, convincingly even? Well you didn’t beat us at our best because the real anchor of our side is up watching the game with the fans.

It’s been a well-used excuse round the Etihad this year, not that it’s unjustified. Manuel Pellegrini witnessed it all start to fall apart in January as a squad of their own from within the City ranks found their way onto the disabled list. This was capped off by a January 27 injury to star signing Kevin De Bruyne. Manchester City would go on to have a disastrous February in which, outside of their Capital One Cup final victory, they managed only 1 win to go alongside 4 ugly losses.

So yeah, it’s understandable Pellegrini would point the finger of blame towards injuries for the slump that has seen City drop from second to fourth in the league and out of the FA Cup entirely. He could, in theory, just blame himself. I mean, he’s leaving at the end of the season regardless, so why not? But it’s clear for anybody to see that since injuries started taking their toll, the sky blues haven’t been able to compete quite the same, particularly in the middle of the park.

All that looks set to change however, as, while speaking at a press conference today, Pellegrini confirmed City could be back at full strength by the start of April. As reported by the Manchester Evening News:

"“Nasri, Delph and De Bruyne will be back after the international break.Here are the potential return dates for all the injuries with Yaya rated doubtful for the Kiev clash.Toure: 20/03Nasri: 02/04Delph: 02/04De Bruyne: 02/04”"

So taking this at face value, it’s possible Yaya Toure may only miss the second leg in the Champions League against Dynamo Kiev, in which we probably don’t need him anyway. If the 20/03 prediction is accurate, he should be back in action for the Manchester United game at the Etihad. Which Yaya Toure turns up is another question of course.

As for the others, this is where things get exciting. Following the delightfully long international break, City could be looking at getting three of their better players back in time for the stretch, starting away to Bournemouth. De Bruyne has made an impact in every game he’s played and will doubtless do the same when he’s back. Samir Nasri provides depth in the middle of the park, with his speed and creativity being sorely missed behind a hungry Sergio Aguero. Fabian Delph provides much the same.

All three will be a huge boost to Manchester City and all three, unsurprisingly, are midfielders. For Pellegrini it all couldn’t come at a better time. The title may still be up for grabs, and he would never admit it publicly, but at present you have to realistically considered a top four finish as a priority.

Missing Champions League football would be a nightmare for City and particularly incoming manager Pep Guardiola as he seeks to entice big name players to the Etihad. Speaking of the Champions League, having Nasri, Delph and De Bruyne back for the next round isn’t a small deal at all. Yes, I don’t believe for a second City won’t see the next round, even without the above players starting in their 3-1 up on aggregate second leg game.

Fending off competition for a top four slot and, perhaps, progressing further in the Champions League, are the realistic goals for Pellegrini’s men at present. Any more would be a bonus, but the chances aren’t high, to say the least.

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Even so, Pellegrini may well lose the excuse for poor performances that injuries bring, but what he should gain will make the realistic goals that much more achievable. For Citizens though, it’ll be good just to see a City side as strong as it can be, for the first time in a very long while. And hey, we can always still blame the referee.