Players must help Guardiola plug his left-back problem
PEP Guardiola is turning to his players to bail City out in defence as he continues to be without a number of players.
As well as Benjamin Mendy, the Blues will be missing Fabian Delph for today’s game with Newcastle and in all likelihood Vincent Kompany.
The Belgian has not featured since coming off against Rafa Benitez’s side in December and while the word is that he is “much better”, that has been the official diagnosis for the last few press conferences only for Kompany not to make the matchday squad.
Delph’s injury gives Guardiola another problem.
So good was the form of the makeshift left-back in Mendy’s absence that the coach cooled on the idea of signing a replacement in the January transfer window.
However, his fitness has been under more strain in recent weeks with Aleks Zinchenko drafted in to deputise over the busy Christmas period.
Delph was forced off in the defeat to Liverpool last week and Guardiola said he will be without the player “for a while”.
The gamble of going into the season with just one left-back has been damaging, and the current situation leaves City with some important decisions to make before the transfer window is over. Mendy is not expected to return to action until April, and Zinchenko has not featured in the Champions League this season having not been included in the squad. A new left-back was not part of the club’s January plans, but not reinforcing will place more pressure on Delph and his team-mates.
Guardiola’s comments suggest that Danilo or Fernandinho may be asked to fill in for the business end of the season instead, with others around them given more responsibility to help out.
“Right now, in the next weeks, we have a problem,” said Guardiola.
“We’ve had it all season, we started with just one (left) full-back because we had spent enough money on other full-backs. We knew that and now the problem with Fabian we are going to see how we solve it.
“In these situations, it always depends on the mentality of the players, if they can make a step forward. If they can they play in positions that are not natural positions and the other guys help them, everything is going well.”