Pep Guardiola said he “wants his players back” after being crippled by injuries, but said Manchester City will be “strong again” once Rodri returns.
Guardiola watched as his side were defeated by Juventus in the Champions League in midweek, putting their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages in jeopardy.
City have now lost seven of their last ten games in all competitions (W1 D2), as many defeats as they had suffered in their previous 105 games combined (seven).
Since the start of November, Guardiola's side have now conceded more goals in all competitions than any other team from Europe's top five leagues (21 in nine games).
But their recent dip in form has not been helped by injuries, with the likes of John Stones, Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji, Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne already missing significant game time this season.
“What I want is for my players to be back. The complete squad we had at the start of the season. I'm sorry we don't have it and we don't need new ones,” Guardiola said.
“Huge congratulations on the accounts, because the club has to be sustainable.
“That doesn't mean we have big, big resources to buy what we want, especially given how expensive the transfer market is.”
21 – Since the start of November, Manchester City have conceded more goals in all competitions than any other team from Europe's top five leagues (21 in nine games). Hitch. pic.twitter.com/fAtI2enYq2
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 11, 2024
But one of the most notable absentees was Rodri, with his presence in defensive midfield seemingly hurting City the most in their recent run of results.
City are unbeaten with Rodri in the Premier League since the start of last season, but have won just eight of their 17 games without him in the same period (D2 L7).
Guardiola was asked whether he would enter the January market to find a replacement for the Spaniard, but he kept his cards close to his chest.
“If we need players we go to the transfer market, but I don't know who is around,” Guardiola said.
“We knew it from the start, but Rodri is a Ballon d'Or player. We played without the best player in England last season. That's the problem.”
“No other team plays with a central defender who has a Ballon d'Or. That's difficult. When he comes back, we will be strong again. We will be a good team.”
“Of course we still have to try to play the same way and win. Sooner or later we will come back.”
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