Pep Guardiola has admitted he is not sure when Manchester City striker Erling Haaland will return from injury after he missed the team’s win over Leeds on Saturday.
Haaland made a surprise absence from the City squad to play at Elland Road. Antoine Semenyo replaced him as a central striker in the starting lineup and scored the winning goal.
Guardiola admitted before the game that Haaland had noticed a problem during training on Thursday, describing it as a “slight injury”.
However, after the game the City manager was unable to provide an answer as to when Haaland would return.
When asked how he felt about winning at Leeds without Haaland, Guardiola replied, “I hope he comes back.”
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Watch for free: Highlights of the match between Leeds United and Manchester City in the Premier League.
When asked when he would return, Guardiola replied, “I don’t know.”
Haaland’s injury comes at a busy time for Guardiola’s City. Four matches will be played in three different competitions over the next two weeks.
City face Nottingham Forest in their next Premier League game on Wednesday night, before facing Newcastle in the FA Cup next Saturday.
City then played three games away to Real Madrid in the Champions League last-16 first leg on 11 March, and another away game at West Ham three days later.
Guardiola has revealed his frustration with the 8pm kick-off time being given to the FA Cup fifth round tie at Newcastle. The City manager claimed this was giving his side less time to prepare for the Real match.
Coach Guardiola said, “There are three days left until Nottingham Forest.” Coach Guardiola said, “I am very grateful that after the FA Cup, we will play at 8pm instead of 3pm.”
“So thank you so much again. This is what you have to do with your life, but it’s something you have to deal with.”
Pep: Qualifying for the Champions League is our top priority
City are facing challenges on all four fronts as they prepare for March. The win over Leeds leaves them two points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.
But Mikel Arteta’s Gunners can extend their lead back to five points if they beat Chelsea live on Sky Sports at 4.30pm on Sunday.
Sunday, March 1st 4:25 PM
Kickoff at 4:30 PM
Despite having so many trophies up for grabs, Guardiola insists the club’s “biggest priority” is securing another season of Champions League football.
“One game at a time,” Guardiola said. “When there are so many games and everyone is tired, it’s time to recover and start the season in earnest.
“We are playing against European teams, so every game is really difficult, like today.
“The Premier League is more competitive than ever. It’s a real battle, but it’s important to make real steps if we want to qualify for the Champions League next season, which is the main, main goal for the club.
“We’ve always been there for the last 10 years, we’re the only Premier League team that’s been there. There’s a gap and it’s not over yet, but there’s a big gap and the first step is huge.”
With the win against Leeds, Manchester City fell two points behind Premier League leader Arsenal.
Asked whether he thought his team would continue winning for as long as they have in past title races, Guardiola said: “I can’t care less. What happened in the past is in the past.”
“Do you want to tell me what will happen against Nottingham Forest? I don’t have the answer to that. When we won 13 or 14 games in a row in the Premier League against Liverpool, I had no idea when we would win 13 or 14 games in a row. It’s just one game at a time.”
Could Semenyo replace Haaland?
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Semenyo put Manchester City ahead just before half-time in their Premier League game against Leeds.
Sky Sports’ Micah Richards had this to say about Antoine Semenyo’s performance as the winner against Leeds on Saturday Night Football:
“He has real quality. We always say players need time to adapt to a new club, but he offers the pace, strength and football IQ to do what Pep wants.”
“That’s the biggest thing: When you’re up front with Haaland, and then with (Omar) Marmoush, he’s going to have to come down defensively in a position that’s probably new to him.
“The way he has adapted has been fantastic. He has also delivered well. There are so many stars in the Manchester City team – (Phil) Foden, (Tiijjani) Reijnders – but for him to influence so many people in the team shows how good he is.
“It’s going to be a long time coming. The question mark was whether he could do it at this level and definitely do it.”
