Pep not in panic at KO to Mendy
SIDELINED: Mendy PEP GUARDIOLA says he has the squad to cope with the loss of Benjamin Mendy until mid-February without buying in the January transfer market.
France full-back Mendy is out for up to 12 weeks after knee surgery.
But Guardiola insists: “When we created the squad at the beginning of the season it was not to go to the January window, except if we have problems.
“I have a deep squad and I trust a lot in all the players.
“When there are some injuries another one is going to play, if not you have a few players in the academy that maybe are going to help us.
“But we are not going to go to January in the market – no way.”
City will also be without Bernardo Silva at West Ham today after the midfielder was injured on international duty with Portugal, but hopes to be fit to join the squad to face Lyon in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Proud
Guardiola says his table-toppers must be on top form against West Ham if they are to maintain their unbeaten start.
He said: “When the contenders are as good as they are here in England, then of course things can happen.
“And some game we are going to lose. With the amount of games, with a lot of competition, now comes the toughest period of the season.
“But I am proud because the best we have seen from Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea is this season – and still we are there.”
Asked whether he was aiming for back-to-back titles, Guardiola said: “To win the title? We are two points in front of second and four points in front of the third and the other one [Spurs] is five or six points. It’s nothing.
“The most satisfying thing for us is that after last season, when we got 100 points and got a lot of nice words about us, we are still there.”
Guardiola has signed an extension to his City deal, taking him to 2021, but yesterday admitted: “Maybe I’ll stay longer. I’m delighted to be here.
‘I have everything a manager needs and it’s going well.
“I have a young squad, good facilities – I have everything.”