We won’t be buying players in January, admits Pep Guardiola

Everything started in the summer when Vincent Kompany left for Anderlecht before injuries to both Aymeric Laporte and John Stones, saw Pep Guardiola’s options at center-back reduced significantly. That has since forced the Manchester City manager’s hand with him forced to play Fernandinho alongside Nicolas Otamendi, with the two doing relatively well.

However, despite that, Pep Guardiola has insisted that he will not be bringing in defensive back-up during the January window. The Spaniard went on to add that the club doesn’t have the money to bring in new players after spending heavily in the summer.

“That is not my business but in January, we are not going to buy because we don't have money to pay a huge amount in the summer so we cannot do it in winter. We are going to stick to the players we have, with Harwood-Bellis and Eric and with the new players in the academy,” Guardiola admitted to Soccer Saturday.

“We have young, talented players and we can count on them. Vinny was an incredible personality and he was incredibly helpful to me and the whole club, but he decided to go to Anderlecht and we have to move forward. That is what it is and so far, it has been perfect."

While the club have had defensive issues, Pep Guardiola's biggest concern should have been his team's performance. A shock defeat at the hands of newly-promoted side Norwich City startled the world and Manchester City, but their answer since then has been brilliant. The Cityzens now have three successive victories, a run that includes an 8-0 victory against Watford and Guardiola is overjoyed at the way his team has reacted.

"It [the reaction] is good, but we knew our game at Norwich wasn't so bad. Sometimes in football, you lose games but the reaction was similar to the reaction in the last years, it was good. 8-0 is exceptional, so it's not normal. It was a weird game and you don't have to take it like it's what we are or what we expect.

"I know for some people, the result is all that matters. It usually matters because you can have a job for the next season, that's why the results are important but what makes me realise who we are and where we are going for the future is the way we play," concluded Guardiola.