Manchester City Injuries Raise Concerns As Gvardiol And Dias Face Lengthy Setbacks

Pep Guardiola reports fresh concerns for Manchester City injuries after a 1-1 draw with Chelsea, as Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias both come off hurt. Enzo Fernandez scores a late equaliser after Tijjani Reijnders’ opener, denying City victory against a managerless Chelsea side.

The match ends with City using a patched-up defence, and Guardiola highlights the strain on squad depth. Several senior players are already missing through injury or international duty, leaving academy players to fill the bench in this Premier League fixture.

Guardiola starts the game without Mateo Kovacic, Omar Marmoush, Rayan Ait-Nouri, John Stones and Nico Gonzalez. The problems grow after half-time when Gvardiol appears to injure himself while making a block and is

withdrawn early in the second period.

With around 10 minutes left, Dias is also substituted after feeling a problem, further stretching Manchester City injuries in defence. City then finish the match with an improvised back four, and Chelsea strike late through Fernandez, turning three expected points into one.

Guardiola voices concern about the situation, saying: "Of course I have concerns, said Guardiola. Have you seen the bench? There were four players from the academy, and now we will have more. We don't have players. "

To illustrate the scale of Manchester City injuries, several key names are already unavailable and more could now join them on the list, leaving Guardiola short across the back line and other areas.

We have a lot [of injuries]. John Stones is missing for I don't know how many months. Ruben now will be out, Josko will be out. Nathan [Ake], always we know with Nathan, he cannot play regularly. It's the situation. Stay strong, and we will find a solution. The spirit is there and will be there.

The action from our draw with Chelsea pic.twitter.com/jhSzAdG7m8Manchester City (@ManCity) January 4, 2026

Asked about possible timeframes for the new Manchester City injuries to Gvardiol and Dias, Guardiola explains that assessments are still pending. "We'll see [on Monday]; it doesn't look good. [Gvardiol] and Ruben, we'll see what happens. I didn't speak to the doctor, but if Ruben is out, it's because he felt something. "

Guardiola stresses that Manchester City injuries are forcing more reliance on academy talent, yet remains confident about the group’s mentality. The coach points to the squad’s attitude and insists that resilience and togetherness must guide City through this demanding period of absences.