If we have to suffer such frequent breaks in the domestic football calendar then there are just two things we can hope for – that our players play well, and they return injury free.
Luckily, this time the footballing gods have been smiling upon Manchester City and it would appear as though our players are returning home after the International football break, injury free and with plaudits ringing in their ears.
For some of our squad have carried their Club form onto the International stage and hopefully, tiredness aside, will be able to carry that rhythm back again as we embark upon an important series of fixtures.
It is also worth pointing out that some City players have remained at the club and have not left on national team duty. After a short break these players have trained with Guardiola and are fit and available for selection. This group of players includes David Silva, Fernandinho, Sergio Aguero, Kyle Walker and Angelino. Expect therefore to see this core of players featuring heavily against Norwich at the weekend.
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Three other players have also trained at the CFA and are nearing their return from injury lay offs. How close they are to first team action will become apparent during Guardiola’s press conference on Friday. Right now though we would expect to see Benjamin Mendy, John Stones and Gabriel Jesus being part of the next match day squad.
Back to those players who have been on International duty. The two goal keepers Claudio Bravo and Ederson have both been playing in South America on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning so face an arduous journey and limited training time before we kick off against Norwich.
Cancelo and Bernardo Silva both played for Portugal where Bernardo fed the ever goal hungry Ronaldo. Bernardo ended the break with 1 goal and 3 assists to further cement his growing reputation.
Zinchenko also added to his goal tally for the Ukraine, turning in some interesting performances in midfield. The threat of the returning Mendy seems to be bolstering his performances rather than hindering them. Rodri had a run out for Spain but he played further forward than he has so far for City.
Otamendi and Mahrez both had unremarkable run outs – but returning injury free was particularly important given the options we have have been limited by the injuries to both Laporte and Sane.
Gundogan travelled with the Germany squad but has not made an appearance as illness has kept him out of the team. He may well be a doubt for the weekend trip to Norwich.
The real plaudits though were reserved for the performances of Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling. De Bruyne single handedly undid Scotland with 1 goal and 3 assists in the match. Sterling has notched 2 goals and 4 assists during the break. Stellar performances which are reminding the pundits that we have two genuine World Class players in our midst.
There should also be an honourable mention for Phil Foden who played well for England Under 21s and scored two goals in the process. Interestingly some of the media have sought to somehow paint the performances of Foden as a negative, seeking to try and undermine Guardiola by suggesting Foden’s future lies elsewhere.
We all know Foden will have his chance, the season is long and Foden will be good and hungry by the time he is deployed.
All in all this was a successful International break, let us hope the next one is similar.