Don’t miss the latest developments in business and finance.

Guardiola forced to juggle at Man City after Fernandinho blow

Image
AFP Manchester
Last Updated : Feb 26 2019 | 9:40 AM IST

Manchester City bagged the first silverware of the season by winning the League Cup final against Chelsea but manager Pep Guardiola will be cautious about the midweek league encounter with his predecessor Manuel Pellegrini.

Mid-table West Ham are the visitors to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday as City return to league action following their penalty shootout win at Wembley.

But celebrations after a highly satisfactory Sunday afternoon for Guardiola, with title rivals Liverpool only managing to pick up a point in a draw at Manchester United, were muted by the post-match news from the City dressing room.

Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho (groin) and central defender Aymeric Laporte (hamstring) both collected injuries at Wembley that Guardiola said would sideline them for several weeks.

Even allowing for the depth of a City squad assembled for vast sums, it would be hard to pick two less replaceable performers for the manager to lose at such a pivotal stage of the campaign, with his side chasing an unprecedented quadruple.

Fernandinho, in particular, has become one of Guardiola's most dependable lieutenants at the Etihad, one of the few players whose name is guaranteed to be in City's starting XI every week.

More From This Section

Since his arrival in 2013, City have won more than 70 percent of the games in which he has played, a percentage that drops below 60 in his absence.

Most recently, when City suffered shock consecutive defeats against Crystal Palace and Leicester, Fernandinho, 33, was absent.

Ilkay Gundogan and Fabian Delph are logical potential replacements in the defensive midfield role but, despite their status as international players, they cannot match Fernandinho's poise and tackling ability.

Danilo played in that role with Real Madrid and is another potential replacement while Guardiola has even spoken about playmaker Kevin De Bruyne playing in a deeper position.

- Fernandinho factor -
======================

Also Read

First Published: Feb 26 2019 | 9:40 AM IST

Next Story