Man City isn’t putting much focus on the League Cup. In their Round of 16 match against Tottenham, The Citizens fielded a secondary lineup with young or lesser- used players. Pep Guardiola’s only goal was to finish the game without injuries. However, things didn’t go as planned.
In the pre-match press conference before facing Spurs, Pep even “prayed” to the football gods to keep his players safe. “A good performance, but please, no more injuries!” Pep emphasized, hinting at his desire to save energy for more important competitions.
Still, Man City lost a player right before the game. Manuel Akanji complained of cartilage pain during warm-ups and had to withdraw at the last minute, with Ruben Dias taking his place. As the game progressed, Pep was visibly tense on the sidelines, hoping for a quick end to the match. The 1-2 defeat and elimination from the League Cup, as well as ending their unbeaten streak of 13 games since the season started, didn’t bother him too much.
Instead, Pep was fully focused on Savinho’s injury, who had to be stretchered off in the 63rd minute. Savinho became the latest addition to Man City’s growing injury list, joining Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker, Jeremy Doku, Oscar Bobb, and Rodri – the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner. Currently, Pep only has 11 healthy first-team players.
Among the eight injuries, three are wingers: Savinho, Grealish, and Doku; while Rodri will be out for the season. Against Tottenham, both Ilkay Gundogan and Nico O’Reilly had numerous misplaced passes, and even with space, City’s central attacks appeared ineffective.
On the other hand, Man City’s attacking strength relies on their wingers. During his time on the field, Savinho turned the right flank into his “stage” with energetic play and impressive dribbling skills. Before his injury, Savinho was in top form. His finishing ability, creativity, and adaptability have been lifelines for Man City. In the previous match against Southampton, Savinho managed to put the ball into the penalty box 10 times – the most in a single match among Europe’s top five leagues this season.
In 63 minutes against Spurs, Savinho did the same four times and assisted Matheus Nunes for City’s only goal. Man City will greatly miss his creativity and wing play in his absence.
Although they decided to step back from the League Cup to focus on other competitions, Man City could not avoid personnel losses. Pep is eagerly awaiting the upcoming international break, hoping for positive updates on his injured players.
However, before the competitions pause for the national team break in November, Man City still faces three away matches within a week: against Bournemouth and Brighton in the Premier League and Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League.