Report: Pep Guardiola Loses ‘Undroppable’ Nathan Ake After Champions League Win
Pep Guardiola reveals he will have to cope without Manchester City’s Nathan Ake at a critical stage in the season.
Nathan Ake was being talked about as one of the players who could leave Manchester City only 12 months ago but has become one of the most reliable players on the pitch.
That has also echoed by Pep Guardiola‘s comments about Ake being “Undroppable“, which shows how much the Dutch international has impressed and imposed himself as one of the first names on the team sheet.
These comments came whilst discussing Kyle Walker and Aymeric Laporte being out of the squad and what they would need to do to get back into it.
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“What they have to do is two things. Don’t complain, or there will be a problem,” Guardiola said.
“And try to do it better and better so when they need me; I will be ready. Look at Nathan [Ake] this season. Last season he didn’t play one minute, and now he is undroppable. It happens.
“Nobody has a guarantee with me. They have to earn it, and sometimes we need a different shape for the way we build up or defend, and some players adapt better than the other ones. It’s simple. They take it personally, but we are not against them. We just need something and try to use it.“
Nathan Ake and Erling Haaland of Manchester City during the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final against Bayern Munich
Ake was in good spirits even after coming off in the 66th minute against Bayern Munich, with many fearing the worst as he grabbed at his hamstring.
“I hope it’s not too bad,” Ake said.
“I’ve had it before, and it feels a bit less, to be honest, but you never know with these things, so we will do the ultrasounds tomorrow, and then hopefully, it’s not too bad. It’s very frustrating. This season I’ve been mostly injury-free. We’ll see how it is, but hopefully, it isn’t too bad.”
Whatever the length of recovery for the 28-year-old, it’s come at a critical time in the season with Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday and then the game that could decide the Premier League title the following Wednesday.
Ake has become a crucial part of the way City play this season, as well as having stand-out performances against a host of teams, including both games so far versus Arsenal, effectively marking Bukayo Saka out of the games; it could also be very costly not to have him available going into the business end of the season.
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