Graham Potter Suggests Injuries Could Be ‘Destabilising’ Manchester City

Former Brighton manager Graham Potter has suggested that injuries could be “destabilising” Manchester City, even though manager Pep Guardiola aims to avoid using them as a justification for his team’s recent displays. Manchester City experienced their third consecutive defeat across all competitions against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Tuesday, despite Phil Foden securing an early lead. Speaking on the latest episode of Planet Premier League, Potter commented: “They don’t want to make injuries an excuse – Pep will make an absolute effort not to and the players won’t – but there is no Rodri, no [Jack] Grealish, no [John] Stones, no [Ruben] Dias and no [Kevin]De Bruyne.” He continued, “I know, from experience, how destabilising that is because it affects how you train and the mentality of the group. Everyone is looking around going: ‘But we have only got four or five [players] training today’.” Potter further remarked, “You know it’s not quite the same, but they obviously don’t want to make it an excuse.” As a manager currently not working, Potter indicated he could offer the excuse on their behalf, stating: “It really is difficult [to deal with] – it stops your flow.”