With the 2022 World Cup in Qatar just months away, Pep Guardiola and Manchester City will have to start their preparations now -even if it means abandoning one of the manager's key principles.
Throughout his tenure at the Etihad Stadium, Guardiola has tended to keep a very tight squad. Despite fans and pundits alike praising City's incredible strength in depth, injuries in certain areas of the team do leave the options limited and often players are played out of position.
It has happened at left-back for years, but consistent injuries picked up in central defence towards the end of the season forced the likes of Fernandinho and Rodri to play emergency roles in some of City's key games. Against West Ham and Aston Villa, in particular, we saw how the former struggled to cope with those demands.
