Pep Guardiola Expresses Feelings For Arsenal Clash

• Pep Guardiola Admits Big Fear For Arsenal Clash As Manchester City Cope Without Star Player.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has admitted it will not be easy to replace Rodri as he prepares to face Arsenal.

The Spanish midfielder is an integral part of City’s system but is absent on the weekend, while he serves the second game of a three-match ban having been sent off in last month’s win over Nottingham Forest.

The suspension only applies to the Premier League and Rodri returned to help guide his team to a Champions League victory at RB Leipzig in midweek.

But City struggled without him in the recent defeat to Wolves, which featured new signings Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes in midfield.

Guardiola said ahead of facing Arsenal: “We will see what happens.

“I started to talk today with my staff [about it], we have to analyse, train this afternoon and prepare tomorrow. Rodri is one of the two or three best holding midfielders in the world so his influence on the team is going to be big.

“But he’s not here. We’ve coped with absences in the past and we’ll have to adapt.

“The team spirit is much more important than any tactic, if you have a good relationship then if one player makes a mistake your teammate is going to help you. The relationship is so important and when we have an absence as important as Rodri we need to look deep inside us to solve it.

“We cannot to start crying and complaining, we have to find a solution and 11 players will be trying to win in London.”

He added: “We’ll decide today or tomorrow and how we’re going to press. The moment a player is not there, they’re out. I don’t think about it. He’s away now on holiday and he’ll be back after the break for Brighton.”

Arsenal were pipped to the Premier League title by City in the final weeks of last season and Guardiola expects his opponents on Sunday to be up there once again.

He noted: “Absolutely. Among Liverpool, from what we have seen. But to analyse the contenders in the first 10 games, and we haven’t even played that, we have to wait. But the big clubs will be contenders.”