Guardiola will be out with a key player for at least a couple of weeksplaceholder image
Guardiola will be out with a key player for at least a couple of weeks | Getty Images
Manchester City have been handed an injury blow ahead of their clash with West Ham.
City have won their last six games across all competitions, including relatively comfortable Carabao Cup win over Brentford on Wednesday night. Despite a patchy start, City’s form means they are now being seen as the clear main challengers for Arsenal in the title race.
And their next test is a home clash with West Ham, who have become harder to beat under Nuno Espirito Santo, but they did lost to Aston Villa last time out to fall three points off safety as Christmas approaches.
One player who is struggling for fitness ahead of those games is Jeremy Doku, who has been ruled out for at least two weeks with injury. Guardiola confirmed before the Brentford game: “Jeremy (will be out) two or three weeks. New year at Sunderland maybe."
Doku has made 25 appearances for City so far this season, scoring five and assisting as many. He is a key player for Guardiola’s side. It now looks as though Savinho will deputise for Doku, with Guardiola saying of the Brazilian: "He lost one or two balls and in two seconds he was a full-back.
"I was incredibly pleased. Two actions where he lost the ball he was a machine. He doesn't like to listen, but I had to tell him. You come from the bench, you have to run double because the other guys are tired. Savinho is going to play a lot of minutes."
The next few weeks could be a formative part of the Premier League title race, and Arsenal also have their injury issues, with the likes of Cristhian Mosquera, Gabriel Magalhaes and Ben White the latest to pick up injuries.
But injuries are an inevitable part of any given season, with the title race being a test of how teams perform in the wake of such setbacks. Meanwhile, it never feels right to ne pleased about a player’s injury, but West Ham will be relieved that they don’t have to worry about the dangerous Doku, who causes problems with his pace and tendency to stay wide, stretching opposing back lines and making space for Erling Haaland and company.
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