Tottenham v Man City: Pep Guardiola admits team 'in trouble' as injury list grows during League Cup loss
Pep Guardiola admitted Manchester City are in trouble after they suffered more injury woes during their 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup, leaving them with only 13 first-team players available.
Already without Kyle Walker, Rodri, Oscar Bobb, Jeremy Doku, Kevin de Bruyne and Jack Grealish for the fourth-round tie, Manuel Akanji was withdrawn ahead of kick off before Savinho was carried off on a stretcher. Savinho hurt his ankle and was in tears as he was carried off the field in the 63rd minute.
With as many as seven changes from the side that beat Southampton 1-0 at the weekend, City were opened up early. Dejan Kulusevski picked out Timo Werner in the box, and the German striker lashed the ball into the net for his first goal of the season.
Pape Matar Sarr got the second in the 25th minute after the ball found its way to him outside the penalty area following a well-worked corner, and the Senegalese midfielder curled it inside the right-hand post.
City pulled one back in first-half stoppage time as Matheus Nunes connected with a cross from Savinho to score with their first effort on target.
"We are 13 players [available] so we are in real difficulty," Guardiola said.
"The guys that play, they finish most of them with problems and we'll see how they recover.
"I think when we are in trouble, like we are because in nine years it never happen this situation with many, many injuries for many, many reasons. In these situations, the players they make a step forward and they are more together than ever and they will try to do this week in this short time to recover.
"It's tough. Akanji yesterday, I didn't know it, in the last action felt something in the muscular part of his body and today in the warm-up he didn't feel good. He said he could take a risk and I said 'no, no risk'.
"Ruben [Dias] is struggling sometimes as well in some moments. It's been getting more difficult game by game, but maybe one day we will arrive altogether.
"That's why the guys who are here and making an effort to be with us, fighting to be with us and playing with pain and focus for us, these guys I will not forget it."
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