Pep Guardiola’s pre-match press conference – Shakhtar v Man City | Champions League
John Stones will miss our Champions League game against Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday with a muscle injury.
The 25-year-old, who suffered the setback in training on Tuesday morning in Kharkiv, is expected to be out for up to five weeks.
It’s another blow for Pep Guardiola, who is now down to one senior central defender after Stones joined Aymeric Laporte on the sidelines.
However, the boss took a positive stance during his pre-match press conference, saying it’s this kind of challenge and tactical conundrum that excites him.
“John Stones was injured this morning,” he said. “He will be out for a month – 4, 5 weeks. The Problem is muscular.
“It’s a big challenge for me as a manager – it’s an incredible challenge with just one central defender, Nico [Otamendi].
“But I believe a lot in the spirit, the commitment to step forward and solve this problem.
“Fernandinho, and maybe Eric [Garcia] and Taylor [Harwood-Bellis] will come forward for the next few months.
“What we will not do is complain they are not able to play. We have 11 players on the pitch and we make an extra effort. I like this challenge.”
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