Manchester City have been dealt a huge blow early on in the week, as it was revealed that midfielder Kevin de Bruyne will be out for around a month with a hamstring injury.
It was almost a routine victory for City this weekend as City edged Swansea City 1-3 at the Liberty Stadium and whilst it wasn't City's finest performance of the season the Blues managed to notch their tenth win of the season in all competitions.
Belgian out for four weeks
De Bruyne wasn't at his best that day it has to be said but that didn't stop the Belgian being a nusiance for the 'Swans' defence, his best chance of the game saw him break between the Swansea centre halves but his shot was dragged wide. Guardiola decided to intervene on the 81st minute mark, substituting De Bruyne for Jesus Navas, the Belgian though seemingly unhappy with his exit.
The injury has been confirmed as a hamstring one with de Bruyne reportedly on his way to Barcelona already for treatment. He will miss the ties with Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur indefinitely coupled with the international break in early October, which should hopefully mean De Bruyne's absence is a short one in terms of club fixtures.
City have the strength to cope
Many will start to ask, can City cope without de Bruyne? Well the answer is simple, yes, quite easily in fact. Despite being an integral piece to City's campaign so far, the depth City now have should make things much easier.
Take for example Ilkay Gundogan who was only signed this summer following a dislocated knee injury has slotted into the side as though he's been a centre piece at City for years. Then we have the form of Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero and David Silva to contend with, all of which have been playing some of their best football of their careers under Pep this season.
The attacking and link up play may not be as smooth as we've been used to but by no means will it dry up completely. City will have their work cut out to make up for de Bruyne's absence but don't expect to see City slow down anytime soon.