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The Manchester City manager blamed injuries for his team's poor form, but other teams, including Arsenal and Liverpool have been worse hit
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City head into the Manchester derby struggling to regain form, having won just one of their last 10 games.
Plagued by injuries and sitting fourth in the Premier League table, Guardiola has voiced his frustration over his team’s absentees.
However, statistics reveal that other Premier League teams have faced worse injury challenges this season, raising questions about the manager’s complaints.
Guardiola blames injuries for Manchester City’s woes
The Manchester City boss in a recent interview defended his team’s struggles by highlighting their reliance on key figures, saying, “We are playing without the best player of the Ballon d'Or, Rodri... and without the best player in England last season, Foden.
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“Not one team can play without central defenders, without the Ballon d'Or, and best PL player for all the season.”
While Guardiola pointed to the significance of his missing players, critics argue that Manchester City’s squad depth should have mitigated the impact of these absences, and worse still, that the Cityzens are not the most depleted team in the league.
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Teams like Brighton and Arsenal have also been without significant players such as Solly March and Martin Odegaard for extended periods and the criticism levelled at Manchester City is that while injuries have played a role, the depth and management of their squad could have been better utilised.
Injury woes? Manchester City far from the worst-hit
Despite Guardiola lamenting the loss of key players like Rodri, Phil Foden, and several defenders, Manchester City’s injury record doesn’t top the Premier League charts.
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According to Sky Sports, City ranks seventh in terms of total days lost due to injuries and sixth for injuries resulting in missed games.
Injury statistics for games missed place Brighton and Ipswich at the top with 17 injuries each, followed by Arsenal and Tottenham with 16. Aston Villa sits just ahead of Manchester City with 15 injuries, while the reigning champions have recorded 14.
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In terms of days lost to injuries, Brighton leads with a staggering 638 days, followed by Ipswich (530) and Crystal Palace (444).
Manchester City, with 372 days lost, is behind Arsenal, Tottenham, and even league leaders Liverpool, who have amassed 382 days.
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