Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola confirmed that Kevin de Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish, and Jeremy Doku will not be playing for Saturday’s Premier League match against Southampton. The team named only 15 outfield players in the squad for their midweek game against Sparta Prague, and Guardiola refrained from providing a timeline for their return to action.
However, Guardiola was optimistic about the performance of Phil Foden, who scored his first goal in a while against Sparta Prague. The City manager praised Foden’s natural talent, stating that he will eventually return to top form. “I’m not concerned at all about how far it is [a return to top form], because I know when he’s fine, he will get it. He’s a natural talent, he will get it,” Guardiola said.
In a related development, Southampton boss Russell Martin has insisted that he will not be changing his football methodology, which has been criticized for his side’s poor start. Guardiola expressed his support for Martin, stating that a teams’ success ultimately hinges on the players’ confidence in their tactics. “He will have success. When this happens, you always have success sooner or later,” Guardiola said. He cautioned that teams should avoid making hasty changes to their playing style, which could lead to poor results. “If you start to change your thoughts for the results, the players will notice. They will know you’re not a big believer. When this happens, sooner or later bad results are coming.”
