Pep Guardiola is set to be without five key Manchester City players for the Community Shield as he prepares for the upcoming season. Rodri, Phil Foden, Kyle Walker, and John Stones, all of whom had extended campaigns into the European Championship, have been given the option to skip the Community Shield to recover fully. They have chosen to return to Manchester next week after the match against United.
Their absence leaves Guardiola with a notable gap in his lineup for the traditional season opener, but the club is taking a long-term view, prioritizing a grueling season ahead.
“We’ve tried to provide them with as much rest as possible,” Guardiola explained. “We’d love to give them even more time, but we’ve already given them a lot. All the players who were in the European Championship and Rodri will rejoin us next week. The focus should be on each training session and taking things step by step, rather than worrying about the schedule.”
Julian Alvarez is also absent as he wraps up his move to Atletico, and eight players have only recently returned to training. Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Bernardo Silva, Matheus Nunes, Manu Akanji, and new signing Savinho are still working to regain their fitness. With limited training sessions under their belts before the team heads to Wembley, Guardiola faces the challenge of preparing his squad for the Community Shield while managing their fitness levels.
