Pep Guardiola admits to defensive selection headache ahead of Manchester derby

Pep Guardiola is mulling over how best to cope with Manchester City’s defensive problems for Sunday’s derby at the Etihad.

Guardiola expects to have only three available defenders in Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, with Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake and John Stones injured and Rico Lewis suspended following his red card in last weekend’s draw with Crystal Palace.

Akanji is the latest player to have joined the injury list after coming off at half-time against Nottingham Forest earlier this month with what Guardiola revealed is an abdominal issue.

“Manu is a strong player and so reliable but in that moment he cannot be that,” said the City boss.

“I don’t know what I have to do. I need players. We will see what happens today and tomorrow, the players we have. Maybe some winger has to play as a full-back or Matheus (Nunes) maybe can play as a full-back, or maybe play with five at the back when wing-backs are wingers.”

Wednesday’s 2-0 Champions League defeat by Juventus made it seven losses and only one victory from City’s last 10 games.

“The soul and the spirit of this team is there,” said Guardiola, who is also without Rodri and Oscar Bobb.

“We are sad, I’m sad for the players because the way they run and they fight with the circumstances they have.

“Our fans, maybe they are sad, I understand completely because maybe we lose seven games, eight games in one season or in two seasons, and now a month and a half.

“But they know this group of players have made an era that no-one has done. The numbers and records, now negative ones but the positive ones, I encourage them (the fans) to support them until the end because they deserve it.

“It made me reflect that maybe with this calendar you need a squad with 25, 30 players. It will be more difficult financially for the club. People say, ‘What is the problem?’ The problem is the schedule.

“Sooner or later it will happen for all clubs. When we won the treble, the four domestics, we have one, two, three injuries, but we were so stable. That’s why we could compete, and now we cannot. We can survive.”

City announced record revenue for the year to June and profits of more than £70million but, asked about potential signings in January, Guardiola added: “What I want is my players back.

“In the right moment we will see but the fact you have revenue – I must congratulate the club, the CEO, (chairman) Khaldoon (Al Mubarak) and all the people because the club must be sustainable – that doesn’t mean we have big, big resources to buy whatever we want, especially today with the transfer market and how expensive everything is.”

With United adapting to life under new manager Ruben Amorim and also going through a difficult period, it is an intriguing time for a derby clash.

Guardiola believes Amorim is already imposing his style on United, saying: “It’s already there, all the patterns. How good the movement is and the runners and the pace. He will do a good job, I’m pretty sure of that.”

The pair have already come up against each other this season, with Amorim’s Sporting Lisbon running out 4-1 winners in the Champions League last month, but Guardiola said: “I would like to play the game like we played in Lisbon on Sunday.

“The way we played. I don’t know if we will be able to do it for many reasons but we’ll see.”

He remains positive about the intent of his side, adding: “I’m really pleased for the way we played.

“And I have a certain moral authority because of what happened in my career as a football player and manager, the titles we won, that I know perfectly when we are playing good or not good.

“We have to shoot more in the final third, we have to defend better, we have to avoid mistakes in both sides, but the game is there. Move forward, keep working, this is what we have to do.”