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On Sunday, December 29, Manchester City returned to winning ways after a five-game winless run, defeating Leicester City at the King Power Stadium in the Premier League. In the post-match reaction, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola had no hesitation in admitting that they “need help” in some positions, hinting at new signings in the January transfer window after injuries have hampered their current season in a severe manner over the past couple of months.
Notably, Rodri, who was awarded the Ballon d’Or recently, is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, while the likes of Ruben Dias, John Stones, Oscar Bobb, Matheus Nunes, and Ederson have also missed out on being named in the matchday squad against Leicester City, due to their fitness issues. Savinho and Erling Haaland were the goal-scorers during their 2-0 over former Premier League champions, but it took a big effort from their defense to earn a clean sheet.
With important players out for weeks and months it's so difficult: Pep Guardiola
While speaking to the press, Pep Guardiola looked forward to the next phase of the ongoing season, while hinting that they are in need of reinforcements in the January transfer window to compensate for the plethora of players on the sidelines due to injury. He was quoted as saying, as per BBC Sport, “In some positions we need help. When we're all together we're the team we were but with important players out for weeks and months it's so difficult.”
Moreover, the Manchester City manager was also quite relieved about ending their five-game winless run after getting the better of Leicester City in the Premier League. After managing the defending champions for the 500th time in all competitions since it all began in 2016, he remarked, “Just relief, that is the word to express how all of us feel. We have done incredible things and now we struggle to win games so now it's just relief.”
The first match for Manchester City in 2025 will be against West Ham United at home in the Etihad Stadium, where they will be looking to start their surge towards defending their Premier League title.
