Pep Guardiola Regrets Not Strengthening Man City Squad

Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City admitted that he may have made a mistake by advising the club to avoid signing new players last summer. City now find themselves in a difficult position and are planning to enter the transfer market in January to stabilize their season. Despite not making a significant signing in January since 2018, they are close to completing a £33.6m deal for Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov. Guardiola is also eyeing Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush and Palmeiras’ teenage defender Vitor Reis.

City’s recent struggles have seen them slip to sixth in the Premier League, get eliminated from the EFL Cup and face a difficult path in the Champions League where they are currently 22nd out of 36 teams. Injuries have played a key role in their downfall with key players such as Rodri, John Stones and Ruben Dias missing significant time. According to Transfermarkt, City have had 15 injury-related absences lasting more than two weeks with Rodri’s season-ending injury being particularly damaging.

Guardiola acknowledged that he initially placed too much trust in the existing squad, believing they could repeat their previous successes. However, after a string of injuries, he now regrets not bringing in fresh talent. With several players over 30, Guardiola recognizes the need to gradually refresh the squad. Despite their current setbacks, the team had been dominant just a few months ago, winning the Premier League title for four consecutive years and reaching the FA Cup final and Champions League quarter-finals.

Now, Pep Guardiola hopes to address the team’s depth issues through the upcoming signings to secure better results for the remainder of the season.