Manchester City Fan View: Pep must carefully manage his squad

Manchester City travelled to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester City on Saturday, a game in which some suggested the Blues could potentially suffer their first defeat of the season if not managed right.

Yet Pep Guardiola’s outfit once again dominated possession and dictated proceedings, claiming a 2-0 win in a fixture in which the hosts did not manage a single shot on target.

Kevin De Bruyne, man of the match for the Citizens once again, demonstrated his quality with a sublime weak foot finish akin to the winner against his former club Chelsea earlier in the season.

Of course, the three points were vital in order to maintain their advantage at the top of the table and the win meant that City matched the impressive start – 34 points from 12 league matches – that they managed under Roberto Mancini in the 2011/12 Premier League winning campaign.

The victory over Claude Puel’s team also meant that City have broken yet another record – the most consecutive away wins now stands at six and could still yet be extended further.

However, perhaps the biggest news from the 2-0 triumph was that John Stones suffered a pulled hamstring after making a challenge during the game. With the England international at the heart of both Guardiola’s defence and tactical outlook, the revelation that he could potentially be ruled out for as long as six weeks does not bode well.

Not least because Manchester United are finally rediscovering their early season form, as well as a couple of their big names returning from their own injuries in the form of Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

With the Manchester derby fast approaching, Guardiola will have to ensure that he continues to get the very best out of his entire squad, especially those who have rarely appeared in recent weeks. Going into the Christmas period with injuries to both Stones and Mendy means that the Spanish coach is missing two of his first choice back four.

The likes of Danilo, Eliaquim Mangala, Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva are yet to feature significantly this term. But Guardiola must ensure that, with the games coming thick and fast, the entirety of his squad is ready to be called upon at any moment, able to interchange seamlessly with minimal impact to the fantastic results with which they have started the season.