Guardiola will look at survival of fittest
AS strange as it may seem to some, City have to be planning for when football returns.
There is no specific return date with the Premier League and UEFA having recently thrown out any proposed starts, but the footballers and their coaching staff have to work towards something.
Kevin De Bruyne has been among those to raise concerns about potential injuries if the players are asked to play a number of games with a short turnaround, and some kind of preseason is expected before competitive matches begin again.
However, it is likely that the schedule will be packed; without taking in cup competitions, the Blues have 10 league games to get through if the season is to be finished as remains the priority.
Given that, Pep Guardiola will have to think about which players in his team can get through multiple games over a short period of time and maintain both their fitness and performance levels.
Ederson is a given, and Kyle Walker has also held off all challenges for the right-back sport. The England international may have some serious apologising to do for his behaviour during the lockdown but his fitness is not in question.
At centre-back, Nicolas Otamendi could be the surprise regular option. After a slow start Fernandinho was ever-present in October, November and December as he turned out religiously for Premier League and Champions League games but injuries began to catch up with him in the last few months.
If he is unable to find that consistent level again, Otamendi could find himself more in favour.
“We have a superman in the team in Nico,” Guardiola said during the Centurions campaign. “Without Nico we wouldn’t have done what we’d done. He’s been amazing.” Moving forward, Rodri has been one of the players Guardiola has used most this season and would have featured even more if not for a few injuries but Ilkay Gundogan can also step into that role.
Bernardo Silva may not have been at his best this term but showed last year that he is a marathon man.
“I am young and I feel like I am always good to play.
“I feel like I am always fit and I never feel tired,” he told M.E.N. Sport in 2019.
Bernardo’s versatility would allow him to cover centrally with Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva both needing their fitness to be carefully managed, while he can also played wide or even as an unconventional forward. Raheem Sterling will also be called upon. The goals may have dried up but the appearances have not, and even an injury picked up at the beginning of February was not enough to keep him out for long.
“Raheem is one of the only guys I’ve met in my career with a recovery quicker than I’ve ever seen before,” Guardiola said in February.
“It’s incredible. He could play every three days and, of course, the more he plays regularly the better and better he feels.”
Sterling was used in a central forward role at the beginning of the season with Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus having missed pre-season, and is also adept on either wing.
Bernardo Silva