Man City lose Semenyo for eight weeks as Haaland doubt grows
Manchester City will be without Antoine Semenyo for eight weeks with a knee injury, and Erling Haaland is a doubt for Tuesday's Champions League home game against AEK Athens. The Guardian
Semenyo limped off during Saturday's win over Ipswich. Haaland lasted to the final whistle but hobbled off at full time with a foot problem. One went off mid-match. The other barely made it down the tunnel.
Manager Enzo Maresca said City had feared a worse outcome for Semenyo. The eight-week layoff points to a return in December, according to reports of his press conference. Manchester Evening News That is some relief. It still keeps the forward out for a long stretch of the season.
The Ipswich win left marks right across the squad. Maresca had made six changes to his starting line-up for that game. Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes and Nico O'Reilly also limped away, alongside Semenyo and Haaland. Five players struggling at once is a lot for any squad to carry.
City are working through seven games in 21 days in October. It is a relentless pace, with little time to train or recover between matches. They lost to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last Wednesday, Europe's top club competition which is played midweek alongside domestic leagues. They then beat Ipswich on Saturday, but victory came with a growing treatment list.
The timing is awkward. City want a response in Europe after the defeat in Paris. Instead Maresca must prepare for AEK Athens without knowing if his main striker can train, let alone start. Semenyo's absence removes another direct runner, someone who carries the ball at pace towards goal.
If Haaland cannot face AEK, Maresca will need a different answer up front. Phil Foden and Iliman Ndiaye have been identified as possible alternatives. Foden usually plays deeper or wide, finding pockets of space rather than leading the line as a traditional No 9, a central striker. Ndiaye offers pace and direct running, but he is not the same penalty-box presence.
For supporters, this is where football becomes a test of adaptability. City still have talent everywhere. They will just have to find goals in a new way until Semenyo is back in December.
