Pep Guardiola has acknowledged that Manchester City must come to terms with the fact that their title defence will be a 'struggle, and this is fine.' The reigning champions' 2-1 loss to Bournemouth last Saturday was followed by their elimination from the Carabao Cup by Tottenham. When asked if these consecutive setbacks are just a temporary blip or a more significant concern, Guardiola responded, 'It was in different competitions. We lost one game [in each] and we have to bounce back to winning games, but we are still early in November, so many things can still happen. I understand that people expect us to win all 38 league games 5-0 and achieve the treble every season, as this is our standard, but that won't happen.'
'It's more challenging because we have numerous [injury] absences. To win the treble, everything needs to align perfectly – no injuries, good momentum, and opponents dropping points at the right time. This isn't feasible because Oscar [Bobb] was the standout player in pre-season, and we miss him greatly. Jack [Grealish] is still not fully fit, and Rodri, arguably the best player in the world, won't be available for the rest of the season.'
'We understand that we are going to face struggles, and that's the reality. Accepting that we will struggle is fine. We might lose against Brighton and Tottenham [in the league], but we've only lost one game, and we are just two points behind a top-class team like Liverpool. We've performed reasonably well in the Champions League. Every team is now more challenging, but this is the test. Staying competitive and, at the end, we'll see if we can be in contention for the titles in the final month.'
'The players are aware of this because they've felt the quality of the teams over the past month or two. That's why I'm genuinely impressed and pleased that we are still in the mix. Bournemouth thoroughly deserved their win. That doesn't mean we are poor; we are still in the fight for the titles. Sometimes, when you lose, it's because the opponents were better.'
Rúben Dias and John Stones are also sidelined for City's fourth Champions League game against Sporting, with Guardiola's side currently on seven points. Erling Haaland seemed to sustain a knock during training on Monday before the squad departed for Lisbon. 'He's fine, no issues. We need to keep the news cycle occupied for 24 hours. That's the reason,' Guardiola said. 'I don't think [he needs a rest] – maybe during the upcoming international break.'
Savinho, Nathan Aké, Kevin De Bruyne, Manuel Akanji, and Jérémy Doku have also travelled despite not being fully fit. Guardiola explained, 'Manu and Nathan are still dealing with issues, Kevin is improving, having sessions with less pain, so we feel he's more comfortable. Doku has had minor muscular problems, and Savinho is recovering well from his ankle injury.'
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