Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola questions England coach Carsley’s decision on Jack Grealish Call-Up

Manchester City is navigating its most challenging period under Pep Guardiola since his arrival in 2016. Amid an injury crisis that has left key players sidelined, another controversy has emerged ahead of the international break. England coach Lee Carsley has called up Jack Grealish, who has struggled with fitness issues, prompting Guardiola to openly question the decision.

Grealish, who was a pivotal figure for City last season, has been unable to regain his form due to a training injury sustained before the Premier League win against Wolverhampton Wanderers. The winger has missed the last six games across all competitions, with reports initially suggesting he wouldn’t return until after the international break. Carsley’s decision to include Grealish in the England squad caught Guardiola off guard.

When asked about the situation, Guardiola chose his words carefully but couldn’t hide his frustration: “It’s his decision. In 70 days, he didn’t train once, today was his first training, and he trained 20 minutes. This is our reality. It’s a decision for the manager of England, Lee can select.

“All I will say is that, the day after Wolves, he was injured, 70 days out, today was the first training with the team… I don’t know if he’ll be fit to play 20 minutes, but the England boss knows better than me,” the Manchester City coach said, with a clear discomfort.

Guardiola also addressed the broader issue of balancing club and international responsibilities. “Always have been like that. I’m really pleased that player, when they’re fit, when they didn’t struggled the last 1, 2, 3 weeks or months, can to to their national team and represent their own country,” he said. “But, when they don’t fit well for any reason, I have the opinion that they have to recover,” the coach ended.

After the 1-2 loss against Brighton and Hove Albion, Guardiola is going through his worse streak in his coaching career. Due to this critical situation, he’s aching to recover as most players as possible during the international break. However, with Grealish joining the England national team, it’s normal for Pep to feel this way.

City’s nursery at full capacity

Following their 2-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion, Guardiola’s City has hit an unprecedented low, with the coach enduring the worst losing streak of his managerial career. The injury crisis has played a significant role in their current form, leaving Guardiola desperate to recover as many players as possible during the break.

He highlighted the impact of injuries when asked whether this season could mirror the previous one, where City started slow but finished as champions: “In terms of results it can be similar, the point is we don’t have the players. All four central defenders are injured. And Rodri, the best player, is not there. Kevin De Bruyne is away from his best. Jeremy Doku is injured. Jack Grealish is injured. You can do it for one game but to be consistent, you cannot,” said the Spaniard.

He also revealed that Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji could not play at all despite being on the bench — Ake has a hamstring issue and Akanji “said he could not move in training” on Friday, according to the manager.