Pep Guardiola admits concerning factor that could hamper Manchester City silverware hopes

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted his concerns surrounding the fitness of his squad, as the Blues prepare to enter the business end of the 2022/23 campaign.

City, who are bidding to win the Premier League title for a third successive season and remain in the hunt to also win both the UEFA Champions League and Emirates FA Cup, are preparing to play their 40th match of the season on Saturday.

The Blues welcome Newcastle United to the Etihad Stadium this weekend, with City returning to East Manchester after five consecutive away matches across three different competitions.

Pep Guardiola’s side have visited Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, RB Leipzig, Bournemouth and Bristol City since a 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Sunday 12th February.

15 members of City’s current squad also featured at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar across November and December, with many players reaching the latter stages of the tournament.

City have struggled with injuries throughout the campaign, with Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips both undergoing surgery late last year.

Phil Foden has also struggled with injury and illness since the turn of the year, while defenders Aymeric Laporte and John Stones have both returned to training after a period on the sidelines.

Ruben Dias also missed several weeks due to a hamstring injury sustained at the World Cup.

City face a pivotal period prior to the international break at the end of March, with crucial matches across three competitions.

As well as looking to overturn a five point gap in the Premier League title race, the Sky Blues also face Vincent Kompany’s Burnley in the Emirates FA Cup quarter-finals and take a 1-1 draw into an upcoming Champions League second-leg tie against RB Leipzig.

Ahead of a potentially season-defining few weeks, Pep Guardiola has admitted his concern about potential injuries.

“Yes but so far – we had problems with illness on some players, with John (Stones) a few weeks ago – the rest feel well. We have almost our whole squad ready. So that’s good.”

Guardiola also provided some insight into how he has prepared his side during the series of recently challenging away matches, claiming that there had been ‘no training’ just ‘recovery’ and ‘preparation.’

“Listen, when we play five games (in a row) away, (playing) every three days, three days, three days, three days in the calendar, not even four, it’s just rest, talk a little bit.

“But in terms of energy on the pitch, in the training sessions, recovery, preparation, recovery, preparation, no training.

“I didn’t change absolutely anything like what we have done in the past.”