Manager Josep Guardiola has admitted he does not know when Erling Haaland will return from injury after the Manchester City striker missed his side’s win over Leeds on Saturday.
Haaland was suddenly absent from the City squad to play at Elland Road. Antoine Semenyo started in his place as central striker and scored the winning goal.
Guardiola admitted before the game that Haaland felt a problem during training on Thursday, describing it as a “minor injury”.
However, after the match, the City manager could not say when Haaland would be fit again.
Asked how he felt about winning at Leeds without Haaland, Guardiola replied: “I wish he was back!”
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Watch for free: Highlights of the Premier League match between Leeds United and Manchester City.
When asked when he would return, Guardiola replied: “I don’t know.”
Haaland’s injury comes at a busy period for Guardiola’s City, who will play four games in three different competitions over the next two weeks.
City host Nottingham Forest in their next Premier League game on Wednesday night before visiting Newcastle in the FA Cup on Saturday.
City will then play Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on March 11th, making it their third consecutive away game, followed by an away game against West Ham three days later.
Guardiola has revealed his frustration with the 8pm kick-off time for the FA Cup fifth-round tie against Newcastle, which the City boss claims is giving his side less time to prepare for their clash with Real.
“We have three days left until Nottingham Forest,” Guardiola said. “Thank you very much for letting us play at 8pm instead of 3pm after the FA Cup so that we had less time to recover for the match against Real Madrid,” Guardiola said.
“Well, thank you very much again. This is something you have to live with, but you have to deal with it.”
Pep: Qualifying for the Champions League is our priority
City are challenged on all four fronts as they prepare for March. The win against Leeds left the club two points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.
However, Mikel Arteta’s Gunners can extend their lead to five points with a win against Chelsea in Sunday’s match, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports from 4.30pm.
Sunday, March 1st 4:25pm
4:30pm kickoff
Despite having so many trophies on the line, Guardiola insists the club’s “biggest priority” is securing another season in the Champions League.
“One game at a time,” Guardiola said. “Recover now and start the real season when there are a lot of games and everyone is tired.
“We are playing against a team that has given up on playing for Europe, so every game is really tough, like today.
“The Premier League is more competitive than ever. It’s a serious battle, but it’s important that we take a real step towards qualifying for next season’s Champions League. That’s the biggest, biggest goal for the club.”
“Because for the last 10 years we’ve always been there and we’re the only Premier League team that’s been there. There’s a gap and it’s not over yet, but it’s a big gap and the first step is huge.”
Man City beat Leeds to move two points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.
When asked if his team intends to continue winning for as long as they have in the past title races, Guardiola said: “We can’t be bothered. What happened in the past is in the past.”
“You want me to tell you what’s going to happen against Nottingham Forest? I don’t have the answer to that. When we won 13 or 14 times in a row against Liverpool in the Premier League, we never knew when we would win 13 or 14 times in a row. We’re taking it one game at a time.”
Could Semenyo replace Haaland?
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In the Premier League match against Leeds, Semenyo scored Manchester City’s opening goal just before half-time.
Sky Sports’ Micah Richards spoke on Saturday Night Football about winner Antoine Semenyo’s performance against Leeds.
“He just has those real qualities. We always say players need time to adapt to a new club, but he brings the speed, power and football IQ to achieve what Pep wants.
“That’s the most important thing, when you’re up front with Haaland and then when you’re with (Omar) Marmouche, there are times when he has to drop defensively into a position that’s probably new to him.
“The way he has adapted is really impressive, but he has also achieved results. There are a lot of star players in the Man City team, like (Phil) Foden and (Tijani) Lijnders, but the fact that he has an influence on so many players in the team shows how good he is.”
“Long may it continue. The question mark was whether he could do it at this level, and he definitely can.”
