Manchester City Defender Rúben Dias Targeted in Burglary as Guardiola Addresses Personal Matter
Manchester City is providing support to defender Rúben Dias after his home was burgled while he was away, and the club is navigating the absence of manager Pep Guardiola due to a personal matter. The incidents cast a shadow over the team’s preparations for a crucial Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur.
The burglary occurred while Dias was watching Manchester City’s Champions League victory over Galatasaray on Wednesday, and his partner, television presenter Maya Jama, was abroad. Fortunately, neither Dias nor Jama were present at the property during the incident.
A senior club official stated, “These are the things you don’t want to happen. We will support him and let’s see how it goes from there.” Dias is expected to return to team training on Monday.
Guardiola’s absence from scheduled media duties on Friday was explained as a “personal matter,” following his appearance at a charity event in Barcelona supporting Palestinian children. Assistant coach Pep Lijnders stepped in to lead the pre-match press conference.
“The manager is good, as always, full of ambition and passion but it is a personal matter,” Lijnders confirmed. “He will arrive back here in Manchester today.” Guardiola previously missed a press conference last month, with Kolo Toure filling in on that occasion. Lijnders himself has previously handled media appearances for Guardiola, most recently after City’s FA Cup win over Exeter on January 10th.
Adding to the team’s challenges, winger Jérémy Doku is sidelined with a calf injury sustained during the Galatasaray match. Lijnders indicated the injury is similar to a previous one that kept Doku out for 18 days, but hopes for a quicker recovery this time. “It’s a similar injury as the last one which took 18 days. I presume this will be a little shorter but we will see. Jeremy is a robust player.”
Despite these setbacks, Manchester City remains firmly in the Premier League title race, having reduced Arsenal’s lead to just four points last weekend. Lijnders emphasized the importance of maintaining focus and relentless pursuit.
“I’ve been in a few title races and it’s always about just focusing on the next game,” he said. “You have to win your own games, create your own path, challenge yourselves to grow and do things better that you can control. With this you have to put pressure, chase and go behind them. They have to feel us and that is possible only by winning football matches.”
