THE NOTEBOOK: Two Man City stars are playing through the pain barrier, Rodri's walking a suspension tightrope... and Gael Clichy reveals who he wants to win the title ahead of huge Arsenal clash

Manchester City’s injury situation might be looking a bit uncertain ahead of the weekend – but Pep Guardiola does have two stars who are battling on regardless.

Eagle-eyed supporters may have noticed that both Ruben Dias and Phil Foden have been wearing bandages over their hands in recent weeks.

And Notebook has been told that the pair have suffered fractures in their hands and are continuing to play through the pain as City attempt to create history in the Premier League.

Dias is thought to have sustained his problem back in January when the FA Cup holders snatched a fourth-round victory in the dying moments at Tottenham.

Dias was in amongst it, challenging Guglielmo Vicario from the corner that Nathan Ake eventually stabbed home, and then heavily involved in the celebrations afterwards.

Foden is believed to have done his shortly after and while Dias was benched for City’s next game, both of them have remained available throughout. Some had speculated that the strapping was perhaps a superstition, with City no strangers to those over the Guardiola years.

Guardiola’s facing the media at 12:30pm on Friday to preview that title clash with Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium and the bad luck on the injury front brought to mind a briefing he did back in 2017.

The subject was John Stones, and a knock the central defender took while on international duty – just as in this one – and Guardiola’s withering put down of England friendlies lived long in the memory. Gareth Southgate is usually very welcome at the City Football Academy but might have to buzz through twice the next time he turns up.

City set to strengthen medical department

City are actually looking to strengthen their medical department at the moment, with recruiters on the hunt for a new physical performance lead.

There are certainly plenty in the building who are requiring fitness top ups at the business end of the campaign – including Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish, who remained in Manchester over the international break.

De Bruyne’s rehabilitation from hamstring surgery, and then subsequent managing of his load, has largely seemed successful, with the player himself taking a keen interest in exactly how hard to push his body. City are hopeful that he will be available for Arsenal alongside Grealish.

Key man Rodri walking suspension tightrope

Away from injuries for a minute – hoorah – and moving swiftly on to… suspensions. Rodri’s record in particular. He’s been walking a tightrope for months after a seventh booking of the season on January 13 at Newcastle.

The Spaniard was scathing about the standard of officiating after that last-gasp victory at St James’ Park (incidentally De Bruyne’s comeback). ‘This season I have seven yellow cards with two or three tackles, the other are for I don't know what, but it is what it is,’ he told us that day. Spoiler: the others were largely for dissent.

He was two bookings away from a two-match suspension at that point, with yellow cards not reset until matchday 32 in the Premier League. He’s done well to keep his emotions in check since, with one caution in 10 matches – coming at Anfield – and crucially made sure he was available for Arsenal after missing the reverse at the Emirates after a sending off.

Four games to go until Rodri’s past the cut-off for suspensions and he can let loose during the run-in.

City's Easter bans

There are a couple of bans for Sunday, however. City’s club store next to the stadium and at the Arndale centre in town aren’t allowed to open because of Easter Sunday rules. There will be smaller pop-up vans around the perimeter of the Etihad for merchandise instead.

City refuse to stand still

American wonderkid Cavan Sullivan is set to sign for City from Philadelphia Union, as the Mail revealed back in January, while new academy director Thomas Krucken knows standing still is not an option if they are to remain both profitable financially and in bringing through players for the first team.

There is lots of change at the academy, which is going through a transitional period, and Krucken brought together more than 100 staff for a summit last week to plot their way forward.

Part of the German’s message centred on a mood board, split into three columns of player, development and process. There is real emphasis on that ‘they are kids’ and to allow mistakes while a high challenging environment should be matched by high support. A similar ethos to his predecessor, Jason Wilcox, who is being coveted by Manchester United.

‘Less is more,’ is another message, while he appears big on ‘identifying, recruiting and retaining’ the ‘best under-9 talent’ as the race for the next Phil Foden constantly goes round and round in the North West. From his presentation, Krucken – who cut his teeth as a coach at the old Platt Lane training base years ago – is a big driver of standards.

As an aside, if the doodles that accompany the motivation on Krucken’s slide for staff are his own work then he should ditch the football lark and become a news cartoonist.

Clichy backs City to reign supreme again

Gael Clichy might have split loyalties when City face Arsenal but the former left back wants Pep Guardiola’s side to continue their dominance in the Premier League.

‘Ian Wright said he would love the dark side of the 115 cases out of the window, so people could really appreciate what we are seeing,’ Clichy told Super 6.

‘For the players to be performing the way they have been performing for nine-10 years is out of this world. We have never seen anything like it in England, and for that, you want them to win the title.

‘City have created a team that is capable of challenging year after year, and have made the Premier League, which is the most competitive league in the world, a basic league.’

But Clichy believes that Arsenal can turn City over in the middle of the park, adding: ‘The weakness in the Man City team is when they are in possession, they often lose the second ball and can be hurt on transition. 

'Players like (Bukayo) Saka) and (Gabriel) Martinelli can hurt City on the transition. Keeping the ball and using the space in behind could be the key. If there is one team that is capable of going there and getting the points, it is Arsenal.’

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