Haaland Injury sidelines striker as Guardiola unsure when he will return

Erling Haaland missed Manchester City's win at Elland Road because of a training problem, a haaland injury Guardiola called a "little injury" that he cannot give a timetable for—an absence that arrives as City prepare for four matches in the next fortnight.

Haaland absent at Elland Road as Semenyo provides matchwinner

Haaland was a surprise absentee from the Manchester City team that travelled to Leeds, with the striker missing the trip to Elland Road in the city of his birth. Antoine Semenyo replaced him as the central striker in the starting line-up and scored the winning goal, a strike just before the break that decided the match.

Haaland Injury: Guardiola's assessment and blunt updates

Pep Guardiola said Haaland picked up an issue in training on Thursday and described it as a "little injury. " Guardiola said two days earlier in training the player "had some problems and a little injury, " adding it was "not a big issue but not ready for today. " When asked how he felt about the result without Haaland he said, "I wish he'd come back!" and, when pushed on a return date, he replied, "I don't know. "

Four matches in three competitions stretch City's schedule

The Haaland absence comes amid a busy spell for Guardiola's side: City face four matches in three different competitions over the next fortnight. The sequence begins with a Premier League home game against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night, followed by an FA Cup trip to Newcastle next Saturday in the fifth round. City then play the first leg of the Champions League last 16 against Real Madrid on March 11, and have another away game at West Ham three days later.

Guardiola criticises timing of FA Cup kick-off that shortens recovery for Real Madrid

Guardiola voiced frustration that the FA Cup tie at Newcastle was given an 8pm kick-off rather than 3pm, saying the late slot gives his team less time to prepare for the Real Madrid match. He sarcastically thanked those responsible, saying, "thank you so much for letting us play at 8pm instead of 3pm so we have less recover to play Real Madrid, " and added, "So again thank you so much. This is what you have to live [with], but you have to deal with that. " He also noted the short turnarounds, saying, "We have three days until Nottingham Forest" and stressing the need to manage recovery.

Squad reshuffle at Leeds and league implications

City travelled to west Yorkshire aiming to cut the gap to league leaders Arsenal to two points and achieved that by winning at Leeds. In Haaland's absence, the forward line featured Omar Marmoush, Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo, with Phil Foden, Savino and Jeremy Doku named as attacking options from the bench. The victory moved City to two points behind Arsenal.

Scoring form, club priorities and the march into March

Haaland has 22 goals in 27 appearances this season but was unavailable for the Elland Road trip. Guardiola said the club is "challenging on all four fronts" as they prepare to enter March, but emphasised the "main, main priority" is securing another season of Champions League football. He urged focus on short-term recovery, saying, "One game at a time. Recover now and start the real season when there are many, many games and everyone's tired. "

The title race remains tight: Mikel Arteta's Gunners can extend their lead back to five points if they beat Chelsea on Sunday at 4. 30pm ET.