Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed why Manuel Akanji was replaced at the last moment before the club’s Carabao Cup meeting with Tottenham this week.
The Premier League champions’ unbeaten start to the new season was brought to an end on Wednesday night at the hands of Ange Postecoglou and his North London outfit with two first-half goals proving too much of a deficit for City to overturn.
Goals from Timo Werner and Pape Sarr was responded to by Matheus Nunes as the Portugal international continues his rich vein of form, but Manchester City were unable to add to their goals on a night when their concerns lay off the pitch.
Pep Guardiola came into the contest with six players ruled out through injury, and his worries were made even worse during the club’s visit to London with all of Savinho, Josko Gvardiol, and Manuel Akanji sustaining issues.
Speaking to reporters in his post-match press conference in North London, Guardiola confirmed that Akanji was withdrawn from the starting line-up after ‘feeling something’ muscular during the warm-ups at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“Akanji yesterday, I didn’t know it, in the last action felt something in the muscular part of his body and today in the warm-up he didn’t feel good,” Guardiola revealed. “He said, ‘No I can take a risk’, and I said, ‘No, no risk!'”
Continuing further, the Manchester City manager also revealed another minor injury concern within his defence as he said, “Ruben (Dias) is struggling sometimes as well in some moments.”
Manchester City will likely be awaiting most nervously for the results of further assessment regarding Savinho’s injury on Wednesday night, after the Brazilian left the field in tears and via the aid of a stretcher.
It is believed that the winger had sustained a knock to his right ankle, while the delay to his injury having first sustained impact left some wondering whether the injury may be as serious as first presumed.
Pep Guardiola and his City side travel to the south coast this weekend as they return to Premier League action with a meeting against Andoni Iraola’s impressive Bournemouth squad at the Vitality Stadium.