Manchester City have confirmed the injury of Kevin de Bruyne – as reported by Mirror. The Belgian international missed the midweek’s Champions League clash against Dinamo Zagreb due to a groin injury he picked last week against Everton.
Although Pep Guardiola claims that the injury is not serious, he has been ruled out of Man City’s Premier League clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday. So, what does it mean for the Citizens?
Who should Guardiola choose in midfield?
With de Bruyne ruled out, Guardiola could potentially face a selection dilemma against Wolves this weekend. While both Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan are guaranteed starters at the base of 4-3-3, the extra midfielder will be occupied by either David Silva or Bernardo Silva.
Both the playmakers were below-par during Man City’s win over Dinamo Zagreb, despite the rest of the team performing really well.
Either way, Bernardo Silva seems like the best bet for Guardiola at the moment. The Portuguese international played for only 56 minutes in midweek before being subbed off. David Silva, in contrast, played 91 minutes and at the age of 33, the Spaniard will likely be jaded heading into this fixture.
Especially against a Wolves side, who play with a high press, it is perhaps wiser for Pep to deploy Bernardo Silva in the midfield three, ahead of the veteran.
Could injuries derail Man City’s title claim?
De Bruyne, regardless of the severity of his injury, joins John Stones, Aymeric Laporte and Leroy Sane in Manchester City’s injury list.
The absence of Laporte and Stones has already forced Guardiola to deploy Fernandinho in central defence. And though the Brazilian has done reasonably well, he is destined to struggle against a more organised attacking unit.
To that end, it’s fair to assume that Manchester City’s title challenge could be derailed due to their injury problems, especially with Liverpool still looking unbeatable in the Premier League. The Reds have won all of their eight league games so far.
Man City are second in the league table, with 16 points on the board. That means they are trailing league leaders Liverpool by a whopping eight points, which is quite a lot at this stage of the competition.
