Pep Guardiola was speaking to the press on Tuesday ahead of his Man City side’s Premier League clash with Leicester City on Wednesday.
As ever, there was a lot for the Manchester City boss to go over with news on Erling Haaland’s injury at the fore of the presser. The Norwegian is facing up to seven weeks out after picking up an ankle injury in the 2-1 win over Bournemouth in the FA Cup on Sunday.
There was other news on the injury front too with Pep revealing that John Stones could return before the end of the season, along with possibly Manuel Akanji, but not likely Nathan Ake who faces a few more weeks on the sidelines yet.
Pep then gave a nod to some of his players who’ve been through a tough time this season. Man City currently sit in 5th place of the Premier League table but find themselves just four points ahead of Bournemouth in 10th, so the campaign could still get a whole lot worse.
But defender Josko Gvardiol has been a consistently shining light for Man City.
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
Pep Guardiola hails Man City star Josko Gvardiol
Man City signed Gvardiol in a £78million deal from Red Bull Leipzig in the summer of 2023. The Croatian international has since been a key player for Man City with the left-back making 84 total appearances for City, scoring 10 goals and assisting four more, with an impressive five goals in 28 Premier League games this season.
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Speaking to the press, Pep admitted that he thinks this season could’ve been even worse if it weren’t for Gvardiol, who the City boss describes as a ‘real warrior’. Pep said in his pre-Leicester City presser: “I’m lucky Josko Gvardiol was a real warrior, all the time there, since the beginning of the season. I cannot imagine what would happen without Josko. That’s why I just can be grateful and appreciate his focus to be ready all the time.”
Gvardiol picked up a hamstring injury on international duty with Croatia this month but managed to recover in time for Bournemouth, playing the full 90. Since the turn of the year, Gvardiol has played all but three minutes of every Man City game, barring FA Cup games against Salford City, Leyton Orient, and Plymouth Argyle.
Josko Gvardiol admits one thing at Man City has surprised him
When he signed for Man City, Gvardiol was brought in as a centre-back. But in what’s proved to be a brilliant move from Pep, Gvardiol is now very much a left-back, albeit still very capable of playing in the middle.
Gvardiol admitted his position change surprised him in a recent interview, explaining: “So before I joined City, I thought like I’m going to be just a central defender, you know, with Ruben [Dias], with John [Stones], whoever is there. But yeah, I ended up as a full-back.”
The position change and Gvardiol’s subsequent success if not just an ode to Pep’s tactical nous but also to Gvardiol’s ability to adapt.
He’s arguably the first name on the team sheet right now and thankfully for Pep, he’s always available, it seems, with the 23-year-old a ‘warrior’ like Pep says, and someone who could be playing for Man City for a long time to come.