Manchester City will miss the services of Pep Guardiola for next two Premier League games. The Spaniard has undergone emergency surgery after suffering severe back pain. The Catalan is in Barcelona and had travelled to his hometown for a long withstanding back ache.
Man City face Sheffield United up next on 27th August to be followed by a home game against Fulham on 2nd September after which the Premier League takes a pause for international matches giving Pep Guardiola ample time to recover and be back on the mat.
In Guardiola’s absence, assistant manager Juan Manuel Lillo will be slotting in. Lillo has plenty of experience in the coaching field and has recently returned to Manchester after heading a club in Qatar in 2022. He will be accompanied by fellow coach Carlos Vicens and goalkeeping coach Xabi Mancisidor; the three together are more than capable enough of managing as Guardiola’s understudy.
City have had a dream start to their season yet again having won two of their first two games convincingly with one of their opponents being Newcastle United. The Champions would want to continue their run of form and play exactly how Pep has orchestrated them to.
In addition to the manager’s absence, Man City also have work to do in the transfer window. With the untimely injury of Kevin De Bruyne, the Citizens are chasing Jeremy Doku and look to pen a contract with him before the deadline date of September 1.
Manchester City have a strong bench and the depth left by Guardiola will not let his team miss his or De Bruyne’s presence. The Blues have the likes of Bernardo Silva, Cole Palmer, Kalvin Philips, and James McAtee; all of whom can slot into midfield position, if not directly for KDB but manageably so.
