Injuries and squad depth, should we be concerned?
By Brian Buller
As the transfer window starts to close and with City seemingly drawing a line under incomings after the arrival of Sergio Gomez. It is hard not to notice that after a few injuries already this season, the squad depth, especially in key areas is a little thin. Will it cost them the title?.
At the time of writing, we have just seen Nathan Ake hobble off early in the first half against Newcastle United, to be replaced by Ruben Dias, who’s absence from the starting line up was probably a niggle from the previous early substitution against Bournemouth last weekend.
Add to this, Jack Grealish didn’t make the squad and we have already started the season without Aymeric Laporte.
Gomez lacks any real topflight footballing experience having moved from Anderlecht which leaves us scarily short in defence. Especially with the exit of Mr Reliable in Zinchenko. And given how fragile we looked at the back in the 3-3 draw with Newcastle, we can barely afford to have to rely on inexperience.
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Further up field, with the loss of Fernandinho both on and off the pitch, although replaced by Kalvin Phillips, he too is susceptible to injury and missed a large part of last season. With the media consistently driving the narrative around Bernardo potentially heading to the Nou Camp and ageing legs of Ilkay Gundogan.
Baring in mind the lack of youth prospects in the centre of the pitch, and Pep’s seeming reluctance to utilise Foden as a number 8. We are only a couple of injuries away from being woefully short in midfield.
Up top, we have let two of our most potent attacking forces go in Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus, with the latter already flourishing at Arsenal, it only adds to the worries that although we have the behemoth Haaland down the middle, Julian Alvarez, as much of a bright talent he may be, he just isn’t up to the standards of the two we let go, yet.
This begs an even bigger question. With Pep Guardiola coming to the end of his contract and mutterings in a recent Sky Sports interview about potentially needing a break. If, and only if the great man decides he needs a break. We would be left with not only a squad of players that only he knows how to get the very best of, but a very small squad in terms of numbers.
That is my biggest concern, when any manager goes, and we all know that day is coming with Pep. Player turnover is normally huge, I don’t think we are as well equipped as we all might like to believe.
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Twenty one first team players (three of which are goalkeepers) and we are already missing three of those through injuries. If there is anything that is going to stop us bringing home the title for a third season in a row, it will be this. Because if Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri and co. are asked to play a potential 70+ games this season, we are bang in trouble.