Pep Guardiola Reveals a different Defensive line up Ahead of Manchester Derby with Just Three Defenders Available

Pep Guardiola is in a real dilemma as Manchester City head into the Manchester Derby with a serious shortage of defenders. The club’s defensive crisis has worsened after last week’s red card for Rico Lewis, who is now unavailable for the big match against Manchester United.

Adding to the problem, City are already without key defenders Manu Akanji, John Stones, and Nathan Ake, all of whom are sidelined with injuries. None of them are expected to return for Sunday’s clash, leaving Guardiola with just three senior defenders available.

The trio that are fit to play – Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, and Kyle Walker – have to quickly bounce back from a poor performance in City’s 2-0 defeat to Juventus in the Champions League. Walker and Gvardiol, in particular, have been underperforming this season, but with no other options, they are likely to retain their places in the starting lineup.

The question now is who will complete the defense. Guardiola is considering several possibilities to fill the gap. One option is playing wingers in a back five, which would involve shifting some players like Matheus Nunes or even full-backs to center-back roles. This would be an unconventional move, but it’s a tactic that Guardiola may be forced to use given the circumstances.

“I don’t know what I have to do. I need players. We have three and we will see what happens today and tomorrow,” Guardiola said. “Maybe some winger has to play as a full-back or Matheus can play as a full-back, or maybe we can play five at the back with wing-backs as wingers. We are thinking what to do with a situation with just three central defenders.”

It’s a tough situation for Guardiola, who will have to get creative with his team selection to avoid another defensive disaster. With the stakes high in the derby against United, all eyes will be on how City’s patched-up defense performs.