Gary Neville has now shared some thoughts on Manchester City after Manuel Akanji received a red card against Brighton.
The 48-year-old made the comments when speaking on Sky Sports.
So, what did Gary Neville say about Manchester City? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well, the Sky Sports pundit believes Guardiola now has a “problem” on his hands after Akanji picked up a red card in the 2-1 win over Brighton on Saturday.
Neville said: “Brighton are a tough team to play against. They can pop it through you. It was a fantastic result for City in some ways. Obviously, Akanji being sent off is a problem.”
The Switzerland international will now miss Sunday’s Manchester derby as he serves a one-match ban domestically.
There is no doubt that Akanji deserved to be sent off – it was foolish of him to pick up that second yellow with just minutes remaining.
However, Guardiola is entitled to feel annoyed by the fact Ibrahima Konate managed to avoid a red card for doing the exact same thing in Liverpool’s 2-0 win against Everton on Saturday.
There is a worrying lack of consistency in regards to officiating in the Premier League – to say the least.
How Manchester City can deal with Manuel Akanji absence
Akanji has been a key cog under Guardiola so far this season, making seven starts out of a possible nine in the Premier League.
Therefore, the Spaniard is surely devastated to be without the 28-year-old this weekend.
Nevertheless, Manchester City have some quality options to step in.
Guardiola decided to leave both Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake on the bench for Saturday’s 2-1 win over Brighton, so either of them could come in and do a solid job in Akanji’s absence.
Whatever Guardiola opts to do, Manchester City should still have too much firepower for Manchester United to handle on Sunday.
