Guardiola had emergency back surgery

The 52-year-old coach has suffered from back pain for a long time, so he had to fly to Spain and go to the operating table on August 22. The pain was mild and the surgery was successful, but he needed a few weeks of recovery at home. In the next two matches, assistant Juanma Lillo will replace him as the leader. Guardiola will return after the national team series in September 2023.

Man City will play the next two matches against host Sheffield United on August 27 and away team Fulham on September 2. After a two-week break, they returned to meet West Ham in London on September 16. It was not until October 8 that Guardiola's teachers and students encountered a formidable opponent, the runner-up Arsenal. But before that, they also played two Champions League group stage matches, against an unknown opponent.

Lillo is 58 years old, has led or worked as an assistant at dozens of clubs, including Real Sociedad. He worked as Guardiola's assistant for the first time in 2020-2022, before moving to lead Al Sadd in Qatar. In August 2023, he returned to be Man City's deputy, after Guardiola parted ways with assistants such as Enzo Maresca or Rodolfo Borrell.

Under Guardiola at Man City, many of his assistants landed head coach jobs in other teams. Mikel Arteta has left Man City to lead Arsenal since 2019, and Domenec Torrent also left Guardiola to work at New York City a year earlier.

Last season, Lillo was on the payroll of Al Sadd, but many times flew back to England to support Man City to strategize in the sprint. He prepared a plan for the semi-finals and final of the Champions League, when Man City completed the treble. Lillo is also appreciated for his ability to work with each player, despite his limited English. The 58-year-old assistant is close to defender Joao Cancelo and midfielder Cole Palmer, so these two players could get more play in the next two games.