Pep Guardiola tells depleted Man City squad that tiredness is in the mind

Pep Guardiola has told his Manchester City players tiredness is in the mind as he backed their spirit to carry them through an injury crisis.

City have a lengthy list of absentees, particularly in central defence, with Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias joining John Stones on the sidelines after suffering injuries at the weekend.

Omar Marmoush, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Savinho, Oscar Bobb and Mateo Kovacic are also missing either through fitness problems or international duty.

These problems have contributed to a frustrating start to 2026 for title-chasing City, who have slipped six points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal after draws with Sunderland and Chelsea.

With City competing in four competitions and no respite in the schedule until mid-February, Guardiola has little scope for rotation.

But unlike during a poor spell last season, when City endured a run of nine defeats with just one win in 13 games, the Spaniard believes the squad have the mental resilience to cope.

The City manager said: “I don’t have any – zero zero zero – complaints about my players.

“Completely the opposite. That’s why comparing with last season is completely different.

“Of course just to sustain it every three days, a lot of games, with few players will be tough, but if the spirit is in the right spot we will be there.

“It makes me so happy that, (after) last season we missed it, this season we have it. Is that enough?

“We will see but I don’t have any doubts, we have a good heart. If we have that, we don’t lose.

“If you are tired, it is in your mind. If you are there, we can work on it with the players that we have.”

Dias will be sidelined for at least six weeks while Gvardiol will be out even longer with a broken leg.

City, who have recalled youngster Max Alleyne from loan at Watford, do look set to add to their squad during this month’s transfer window.

It has been reported a deal for Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo is close and that the player will undergo a medical on Thursday. The club have also been linked with Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.

Guardiola would not comment directly at a press conference to preview Wednesday’s clash with Brighton but suggested incomings are likely.

He said: “We’ll see (about) a transfer, we will be creative. We’ll find some solutions.”