Pep Guardiola opens up on Manchester City's struggles

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has stated that the club is aware of their recent struggles and understands the reason behind it as well. City, for the first time since April 2018, have lost three matches in a row across different competitions. They went down to Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup, Bournemouth in the Premier League, and Sporting CP in the UEFA Champions League.

However, Guardiola is hopeful that all the problems related to player availability and injuries will be solved soon, especially after the upcoming international break. Manchester City are scheduled to face Brighton on November 9 (Saturday) at 11 PM IST and according to their manager, the team is looking forward to doing well in this clash.

“We know the reason why we struggle but we are looking forward to this game and after the international break, and after that a few players will be back and recovered. All the little problems we have with players will be solved. I hope,” Guardiola said in a recent press conference (via SuperSport).

City missing Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne

The Cityzens are missing their player Rodri and his absence has arguably affected the defensive side of the midfield. Rodri got injured during City's 2-2 draw against Arsenal in the Premier League in September. He has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury and underwent surgery for the same as well which has ruled him out of the entire season.

Moreover, Kevin De Bruyne’s absence has also affected Manchester City’s creative aspect in their attack. However, the Belgian is likely to be back in action soon and could well return to the playing XI for the Brighton clash on the weekend.

As far as the Premier League standings are concerned, City are dropped to second place, especially after their previous loss to Bournemouth. They have so far played 10 matches and won seven, drawn two and lost one, and have 23 points to their name, only two fewer than Liverpool who are sitting pretty at the numero uno position.

After the current set of matches over the weekend, the Premier League matches are set to resume on November 23 with City scheduled to face Tottenham on the same day. This is when Pep Guardiola is hoping for all the problems to be solved.