Manchester City’s treatment room is overflowing, and their manager, Pep Guardiola, has only thirteen outfield players available following Savinho’s injury, who suffered an ankle knock in the defeat against Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup round of 16.

The Brazilian is the latest absence in a team that currently cannot rely on Oscar Bobb, who broke his leg in preseason, as well as Kevin de Bruyne, Jeremy Doku, and Jack, who has been dealing with a muscle problem for weeks, and Kyle Walker with a knee injury.

The return date for all of them is unknown, though Guardiola hopes to have Doku back after the November international break.

This break could act as a buffer for the ‘Sky Blues,’ allowing time to recover several players, as long as national team matches do not bring new injuries.

Before the break, City will have to play away against Bournemouth this Saturday, the fourth matchday of the Champions League against Sporting Portugal on Tuesday the 5th, and the following Saturday, against Brighton back in the Premier League.

It is not the toughest schedule possible for City, who are third in their Champions League group with seven out of a possible nine points, and are Premier League leaders, with 23 out of 27 points after nine games.

“We are in a complicated moment. We have a lot of players with problems. In nine years, we’ve never had so many players with so many injuries, but they will make the effort, step up, and be closer than ever,” Guardiola admitted.

The coach from Sampedor, who had to field three youth players in the clash against Tottenham and admitted he would play with the B team, will miss out on lifting the League Cup for the fourth consecutive season.

City, which won this competition four times between 2018 and 2021, has its sights set on bigger goals, especially since this cup only awards $100,000 to its winner, while the effort it requires could take a toll on the Premier League and the Champions League, which now demands two more games in the group stage.

Therefore, despite being down 2-1 and needing a goal to force a penalty shootout, Guardiola chose not to give Erling Haaland any minutes, who watched from the bench as Spurs knocked them out of the tournament.