DE BRUYNE STRAIN
Kevin’s KO’D by crazy schedule
The Manchester City playmaker is out of today’s clash against Arsenal at the Etihad with a muscle problem.
De Bruyne suffered the injury towards the end Belgium’s 2- 1 Nations League defeat by England Wembley and could miss several more games for City.
Guardiola said De Bruyne had reached his limit after just eight days off in pre- season and blamed the overloaded calendar for the loss of his most influential player.
“I think it’s not big, I don’t know how long, but it’s a few days and I don’t know how many games he’ll be out,” said the City boss.
“No pre- season, eight days off, eight days holidays, the family with a newborn, his wife was pregnant, so he has to be at home.
“He cannot go on holidays. So rest, trained here and played really good as always, but the boy has a limit and he gets injured.”
With De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus on the sidelines and Sergio
Aguero not ready to start after four months out, Guardiola will be forced to shuffle for the visit of his former assistant Mikel Arteta’s side.
That could see Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden or Bernardo Silva deployed as a ‘ false nine’.
After their 5- 2 defeat at home to Leicester and a 1- 1 draw at Leeds, City need to get back to winning ways against the Gunners.
Guardiola admitted this season could witness the most open title race for years, given the freak results already and the unique circumstances brought about by the pandemic.
“Three years ago it was just one in the title race – it was us,” said the Spaniard.
“Then it was just Liverpool and us. Then last year just Liverpool. So, yeah, we’ll see.
“We came back after the pandemic and it was hard to finish the Premier League season, the Champions League and now it’s 11 months in this situation. I don’t know what impact this situation – without spectators – will have.
“For a short time it’s nice, for a long time it’s different.
“Maybe there’ll be more contenders, with no long unbeaten runs, with teams winning 16, 17 or 18 games in a row, like it was before in the Premier League
“Everyone can beat everyone, which is not what happened in the last three seasons.”
FEELING IT: Kevin De Bruyne and
( above) Pep Guardiola