Pep Guardiola has already informed Manchester City fans of what they can expect in the coming year.
Manchester City had a strong start to the 2022/23 season before the World Cup halted the club scene until the end of December.
Despite progressing to the next stages of the Champions League and EFL Cup, as well as looking good in the Premier League, Pep Guardiola has sometimes been limited in his team selection. It was an issue that plagued City in the latter stages of last season, nearly costing them the title in the final weeks of the season.
The city may have to add numbers in January to avoid a similar problem this season, but Guardiola’s comments earlier this month explain why that appears unlikely. “We’re not going to sign anyone in January,” he said before beating Chelsea.
“We are not going to sign [anyone] in January. The squad we have we are pleased [with], the squad will stay the same,” he continued.
Guardiola repeated that stance in a press conference before the 2-1 loss to Brentford, City’s final match ahead of the break. That will leave the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager with an outfield playing squad of 21, three of whom include youngsters Rico Lewis, Josh Wilson-Esbrand, and Cole Palmer.
Presuming no January transfers are completed, City may approach the second half of the season with concerns surrounding two key areas. Midfield has proved to be a real issue due to Kalvin Phillips’ shoulder injury, with Guardiola starting three of Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, and Kevin De Bruyne in almost every game so far this campaign.
Full-back is the other area that has been troublesome for Guardiola. He only has three natural options to choose from in the two wide defensive areas, one of whom, Sergio Gomez, has not impressed following his summer move, while Kyle Walker missed the last 11 games before the break due to injury.
Explaining his transfer rationale, Guardiola said in August: “I like to work with not many players and have everyone involved. It is what it is. We have shown in the last years we have a small squad and we are there in the last stages.”
Yet, such a policy took its toll on City last season, and Guardiola will hope the same challenges don’t emerge come May and June.
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