Man City boss Pep Guardiola admits it’s taking longer than expected to fix poor run ahead of clash against Leicester today; Arsenal register 1-0 win over Ipswich
Man City players during a training session ahead of their match against Leicester City. Pic/Man City
Pep Guardiola insists he will not walk out on troubled Manchester City as he strives to stop the champions’ stunning decline. Guardiola only recently signed a two-year contract extension but City’s dismal form has raised questions about his future at the Etihad Stadium.
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A nightmare run of nine defeats in 13 games, with just one win in that woeful spell, triggered suggestions the City boss could decide to quit if he cannot find an answer to his team’s problems.
But, having led City to six Premier League titles in the past seven seasons, Guardiola is adamant he still has the hunger to turn the situation around. “I will try, I will keep going. Sometimes you think the bad run will be ended earlier or it would be easier to fix it, but it takes more time,” he said.
Pep Guardiola
“I will not give up. I want to be here. I want to do it and, with the situation that we have, we have to do it. Of course, I want it, everyone wants it. I don’t want to disappoint my people in terms of the club, the fans, the people who love this club.
“I think all of us in our job want to do it well and please the people. That is undeniable, not a question mark. The biggest test is to come back again, but we have done that before,” he added.
City still have doubts over the fitness of a number of players as they bid to get back to winning ways at struggling Leicester on Sunday. Ballon d’Or winner Rodri is recovering from a long-term knee injury, while Ruben Dias, John Stones, Ederson, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish and Matheus Nunes all missed the 1-1 draw with Everton on Boxing Day.
Saka out for many months
Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka is likely to be sidelined until at least March following surgery on his hamstring, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said.
Arsenal moved up to second place in the Premier League with a 1-0 home win against Ipswich on Friday, its first game without Saka after the England winger tore his right hamstring in a 5-1 win against Crystal Palace last weekend.
Arteta had previously said the 23-year-old Saka would be sidelined for “many weeks,” but speaking after his side saw out a win that keeps the pressure on leader Liverpool, Arteta gave an even worse time frame. “He has had a procedure and everything went well, but unfortunately he will be out for many, many weeks,” Arteta said.
“It will be more than two months. I don’t know exactly how much longer. It will depend on how the scar tissue starts to heal, the first week or so, and the mobility of that. It is very difficult to say,” he added.
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