Guardiola makes unexpected statement regarding significant injury ahead of upcoming match against Spurs
Manchester City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, has stated that John Stones was not prepared for the team’s FA Cup match against Arsenal.
Despite being one of nine players to retain their starting positions for the game, Stones struggled with the speed and skill of Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard and ultimately had to leave the game due to a right hamstring injury.
Guardiola made minimal changes to the team in an effort to advance in the tournament and gain a psychological advantage before the upcoming Premier League match between the two teams.
Guardiola’s strategy for the FA Cup tie was to keep changes to a minimum and to progress in the tournament in order to potentially deal a psychological blow to their rivals ahead of the upcoming top-flight showdown between the teams next month.
The England defender, Stones, was one of the nine home players who retained their Premier League starting positions for the fourth-round match on Friday night.
However, Stones was troubled by the direct running and trickery of Arsenal’s full debutant Leandro Trossard during the game at the Etihad Stadium.
He was also left exposed on occasion by the lack of cover provided by teenage right-back Rico Lewis. A difficult night for Stones was compounded shortly before half-time when he appeared to suffer a right hamstring injury during another tussle with Trossard near the byline.
Despite receiving treatment, it was quickly clear that he could not continue and he limped off to be replaced by Aymeric Laporte, who had originally been replaced in the starting lineup by eventual match-winner Nathan Ake.
It appears that John Stones will be out of action for a while after his latest injury, as Manchester City faces a crucial month ahead. The team’s schedule includes an away game against Tottenham, a crucial match against Arsenal on February 15th and the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against RB Leipzig from the Bundesliga.
“I don’t know (how serious it is),” Guardiola said when asked for an update on Stones’ condition after the 1-0 win over Arsenal sealed by Ake’s fine second-half finish. “Today he was not ready. I saw it from the first minutes.
“Maybe he was tired but he was not ready and when this happens you get injured.”
Guardiola makes unexpected statement regarding significant injury ahead of upcoming match against Spurs
