There was a telling pause ahead of Manchester City's first game of the season when Pep Guardiola was asked if the squad at his disposal was big enough to challenge on all fronts.
Yes, was the eventual answer, with the manager citing the academy and the January transfer window as options to turn to if nothing else could be sorted in summer. A week later, the club agreed a deal for Anderlecht left-back Sergio Gomez after belatedly deciding to take a punt on the young Spaniard at the Etihad.
Two weeks after that came the surprise move for Dortmund centre-back Manu Akanji after Nathan Ake's injury at Newcastle prompted Guardiola to call for more reinforcements, and suddenly the size of the squad looked healthier. The emergence of Rico Lewis has added another body in the vulnerable area of defence, giving the City hierarchy enough to believe they can lose Joao Cancelo for the rest of the season without replacing him.
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The consequence of that decision, though, will still leave Guardiola with his smallest squad to date in Manchester as he attempts to lead the Blues to glory in three competitions. While the coach does not like to work with big groups, he has not had a sparser set in his seven years at the Etihad than the 19 outfield players he now has to work with.
Of those, 18 have started a Premier League game - although Cole Palmer's only start in the competition came last season. He will need to raise his level in the second half of this campaign if he is to match or surpass his previous achievements.
The other member of the squad yet to start a league match is Gomez, whose signing does not look to have worked out. Fifty minutes off the bench in the first Manchester derby showcased the youngster at his attacking best but a rash sending-off against Copenhagen soon after saw him fall swiftly out of favour and he has been left out of the last three matchday squads when more players have been fit.
There is a particular pinch in Gomez's position too. Ake has exceeded expectations in the position but two of the other three players Guardiola named back in August as potential options are now no longer at the club; as well as Cancelo, Josh Wilson-Esbrand moved on loan to Coventry in this window and there are no plans to recall him.
That is not to say that City cannot achieve success this season - they currently occupy second place in the Premier League and are three ties away from a Champions League final - but it does show why Guardiola would be right to be hesitant again over the size of the squad.
City's level of success will now be determined by how much relying more on fewer players can pay off.
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