Pep Guardiola Fears Worst as John Stones Adds to Man City’s Injury Woes

Pep Guardiola expressed concern about John Stones’ injury sustained during Manchester City’s victory against Everton on Wednesday, stating that the situation “looks unfavorable.”

Stones got injured while tackling Everton forward Beto, a play later ruled offside. Despite attempting to continue for a few minutes, Stones eventually had to be substituted for Josko Gvardiol just before halftime.

He was later observed leaving Goodison Park in a protective boot, and Guardiola conveyed a lack of optimism regarding the injury’s potential severity.

“It doesn’t look good but we will see,” Guardiola told Amazon Prime after the game. “It’s his ankle.

Regarding his team’s resilient comeback on the night, Guardiola commented:  “I remind them [of their abilities] every day. We have standards to keep. That makes us have more responsibility so the standards cannot go down. I thought the first half was really good. In the second half we had to attack quicker with wingers and runners and we did really well. They showed again how special they are. We know after six games with just one win, the people were asking, which is normal because it is all about results but we are close and so do Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and Aston Villa. We want to be there.”

Stones’ injury adds to City’s challenges in a season plagued by injuries, starting with the loss of captain Kevin De Bruyne in the opening game after just 22 minutes.

The absence of leading scorer Erling Haaland and the season’s emerging star Jeremy Doku, sidelined since early December, has left Guardiola managing a compact squad during the demanding December and January schedule.