Manchester City created their own little slice of history this weekend when they retained the League Cup after a dramatic penalty shootout win over Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.
Don’t mention the Quadruple, but the Cityzens and boss Pep Guardiola have ticked off one of those trophies needed.
Just the FA Cup, Premier League title, and Champions League left then!
However, the battles on all three fronts has just been made a little bit harder. Brazilian midfielder general Fernandinho, who had to be brought off as the game at the national stadium headed to extra time, having played the full 90 minutes of the goalless draw.
“The only bad thing is that we will miss players in the next few weeks. I don't know how far we can arrive with [Aymeric] Laporte and Fernandinho injured”
Guardiola stated in the aftermath (mancity.com).
Since his absence in December, which resulted in City suffering back-to-back losses, the 33-year-old defensive midfielder has started all but one of the 12 games since, completing 90 minutes of action on seven occasions.
It’s no surprise that City have a 91% win rate from that run with him in the XI.
An integral part of Guardiola’s set-up, City will now await the results and hope that Fernandinho isn’t out for those ‘next few weeks’.
Most importantly, City are in a tightly-fought title race alongside a determined Liverpool side, who currently sit just a single point ahead at the top of the table.
Fernandinho has been at Manchester City since 2013, winning the Premier League title with the club in his very first season, under then-manager Manuel Pellegrini. He has gone on to make close to 270 appearances for the club and been given the captain’s armband on several occasions.
Aymeric Laporte has certainly proven his worth since moving for a then-club record fee of £57 million last January. The French defender has demonstrated his credentials as one of the very best centre-backs in the Premier League, with the added advantage of the versatility to play at left-back, which he has had to do when injuries have limited Guardiola’s options.
He is also set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering from a muscular injury, triggered also in the recent Final.
