Guardiola will not expect - or receive - sympathy

Manchester City and manager Pep Guardiola will know only too well sympathy from elsewhere will be non-existent when he outlines the scale of their current injury problems.

Guardiola's message that "I think we are in trouble" will be brushed aside by those who look on in envy at the size and quality of the squad he has at his disposal.

There is no question, however, that his resources are being put to the test after injuries to Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias and Savinho before and during Wednesday's Carabao Cup defeat at Tottenham.

City are already without Rodri - arguably their most important player - for the season, along with Kevin de Bruyne.

The reality is that if any manager or team can cope with such handicaps, it is Manchester City.

It does add an extra layer of intrigue for Saturday's trip to Bournemouth, who showed how dangerous they can be when they beat Arsenal 2-0 recently.

Guardiola still has plenty of weapons in his armoury and City still lead the Premier League, but it could just be that their current injury difficulties play even more into the narrative that there might be a greater sense of flux surrounding the title race this season than many expected.