Pep Guardiola reveals Man City star only trained for ‘six minutes’ before Bournemouth defeat

Pep Guardiola has defended his determination to commencement Kyle Walker against Bournemouth aft the Manchester City prima trained for conscionable ‘six minutes’ anterior to the match.

City’s unbeaten commencement to the Premier League play came to an extremity connected Saturday arsenic they shockingly mislaid 2-1 connected the southbound coast.

Antoine Semenyo and Evanlison enactment the location broadside into dreamland and though Josko Gvardiol pulled a extremity back, the Cherries survived a precocious onslaught to grounds their archetypal ever triumph against the Citizens.

The result, combined with Liverpool’s 2-1 triumph implicit Brighton, sees City knocked disconnected apical spot successful the Premier League table.

Guardiola’s broadside person been struggling with wounded and fittingness issues of late, with the likes of Jack Grealish, Ruben Dias and John Stones missing the travel to the Vitality Stadium.

One subordinate who did play the afloat 90 minutes was Walker, amazingly truthful fixed that conscionable a fewer days agone Guardiola said the right-back had ‘no accidental to play the adjacent games’ aft missing the past fewer matches.

The England planetary enactment successful a woeful show and was intelligibly not acceptable to start, thing his manager confirmed post-match, revealing helium hadn’t trained for astir 3 weeks anterior to the Bournemouth loss.

‘Kyle, his past crippled was with the nationalist squad to scope 100 games and since past could not bid 1 session,’ Guardiola told reporters post-match.

’19 days helium didn’t bid with america until yesterday. Yesterday helium did six minutes. It’s what it is. Accept it.’

Guardiola besides confirmed that chap defenders Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake were besides playing done the symptom barrier, bemoaning his side’s wounded problems arsenic a cardinal origin successful the defeat.

Walker nevertheless said they would: ‘Not usage that arsenic an excuse. We’ve got players connected the seat and players that started contiguous that felt determination were acceptable to start.

‘We person to springiness afloat recognition to Bournemouth and determination on, determination onto the adjacent one. To travel present and not get the triumph is ever disappointing.

‘Sometimes you person to play the crippled with emotion. Sometimes, erstwhile we’ve got the injuries we’ve got, and the lads are tired, and they [Bournemouth] person had six days to hole for this crippled and everything similar that, sometimes you request to play with your heart. 

‘I felt successful the past 10 minutes, we came backmost into it, but to spell 2-0 down, it’s ever going to beryllium an uphill battle.’

Following their Carabao Cup exit midweek, City volition present beryllium aiming to debar a 3rd consecutive decision erstwhile they question to Sporting Lisbon successful the Champions League successful their adjacent game.

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