Pep Guardiola watched his Manchester City side thrash Luton Town yesterday – and then delivered a promising injury update on one player.
City beat the Hatters 5-1 at the Etihad Stadium, in what was ideal preparation for next Wednesday’s massive second leg against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
There was a return to the starting XI for Ederson, who has been out of action after picking up an injury against Liverpool before the international break.
Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake also both returned to the bench yesterday.
Kevin De Bruyne was struck down with illness ahead of the first game with Real Madrid earlier this week, but he was back starting against Luton and looked in fine fettle.
So the squad is in pretty decent shape right now – and Pep also gave an update on John Stones after yesterday’s victory…
Pep Guardiola allays fears about John Stones ahead of Manchester City’s second leg with Real Madrid
The game with Luton was a chance for Pep to rotate.
Thankfully, the likes of Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Rodri and Jack Grealish were all saved.
Yesterday, there was no John Stones in the squad which did lead to a bit of concern within the fanbase and understandably so. As amazing as Stones is, his injury record is not good, and fans do worry whenever he is missing from a matchday squad.
But Stones is OK, with Pep saying after yesterday’s win over Luton that the England international was just slightly uncomfortable leading up to the game, so he wasn’t risked.
He said (via Sam Lee): “He has some problems, some niggles. He’s fine! He’s not injured, but he felt uncomfortable.”
Stones needed against Real Madrid
If Stones wasn’t 100% yesterday then it was absolutely right for him not to make the matchday squad.
Hopefully, he is able to recover well ahead of Wednesday night’s game. It does sound like he’s in with a fairly good chance given the manager’s post-Luton assessment.
Most City fans would probably feel a lot more confident if Stones was starting against Real, because of the control he helps to give the team. Him pushing into midfield to support Rodri has proven to be such an effective tactic for the team over the last year or so.
That said, if he cannot make it then Mateo Kovacic is a decent replacement.
The Croatian had one of his best games in a City shirt yesterday against Luton, and also scored a stunning goal. He played in the first leg against Real, and it would still be a strong line up if he was in there with Rodri.