Pep Guardiola pleas for referees to 'protect players' after Man City lose Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne to injury

Pep Guardiola made an impassioned plea for referees to “protect” players after Manchester City suffered injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne, the latter scythed down by a horrendous late tackle by Jason Puncheon during the fierce goalless draw away to Crystal Palace.

Jesus is out for up to two months, City fear, although Guardiola said he hoped the suspected medial ligament knee damage suffered by the striker might only rule him out for “a little bit more than one month”. Jesus left the pitch in tears. The Brazilian then left Selhurst Park on crutches.

The injury may force City to try and prise away Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez with the January transfer window opening. Guardiola failed with a late summer bid for Sanchez who has made it clear he wants to leave Arsenal, where he is in the final year of his contract, and move to City.

There has been an expectation that City may simply wait for Sanchez’s contract to expire but they could now feel compelled to act. However, Guardiola would not be drawn. “I don’t know. He’s a player for Arsenal and I think he’s staying there,” he said. “In internal meetings we will decide what’s the best (to do in January) but he’s an Arsenal player... we have to sit down and see what happened with Gabriel and Kevin and we will see."

Injuries are mounting for City who lost captain Vincent Kompany during the win away to Newcastle United last Wednesday, with the club already intending to sign a central defender – West Bromwich Albion’s Jonny Evans and Real Sociedad’s Inigo Martinez are their prime targets – during the window.

Guardiola is also still without David Silva, who has been given compassionate leave. “I don’t know when he will be ready to be back but the personal life is more important than any other situation,” Guardiola said.

The Spaniard expressed his concern about the lack of protection offered by match officials to the players in Premier League matches. “Gabriel will be out for, I don’t know, a little bit more than one month. Kevin we will see tomorrow, if it was a kick or something else,” Guardiola said. Jesus was hurt in a challenge by Andros Townsend, with the striker ‘doing the splits’ and twisting his knee. He tried to carry on but had to eventually leave the pitch.

The tackle on De Bruyne was more brutal – as City tried to break away following Palace missing a penalty. “I like the physicality of the Premier League but the referee has to protect the players,” Guardiola said. Asked whether he was concerned about the “best players” getting hurt, he added: “Not the best players. All the players. They have fathers and mothers as well. People focus on diving and this kind of thing. I know contact is more allowed here than any other country but there are limits.”

Guardiola cited two recent matches – the home game against Tottenham Hotspur and the Newcastle match – as occasions where his players could have been hurt in challenges. “We were lucky against Tottenham with Raheem (Sterling) and Kevin and we were lucky against Newcastle with (Ilkay) Gundogan,” Guardiola said, adding that maybe there was too much focus on trying to stop diving and not enough on some of the tackles. 

“Maybe he (De Bruyne) will not be ready for the Watford game in two days time but protect all the players. Protect the players, guys, that is all,” Guardiola continued.

“They don’t have to change the way they play here. You go to another country, they play in a specific way. But there is one line which if you go above, beyond that line is dangerous. You are here and I am here for the players. It works because there are 22 guys trying to win a game and the referee has to follow the rules and protect the players.”

Palace manager Roy Hodgson admitted his side had gained an unexpected point – which could have been all three had the penalty not been saved by City goalkeeper Ederson.

However, Palace also suffered injuries with captain Scott Dann stretchered off in the first-half – ironically as he also brought down De Bruyne - as well as Puncheon late on, with Hodgson adding: “It was a very costly game because the type of injuries that were sustained today did not look like short-term injuries.”

Palace are now without three key defenders. “Mamadou) Sakho is likely to be out for a few more weeks to come, Joel Ward is still in recovery and we have lost Scott Dann,” Hodgson said. “It doesn’t look good. Let’s put it this way, it’s a serious knee injury. And we have lost Jason Puncheon. We have stretched our resources to the absolute limit.”