The Blues are blessed with the cream of the crop when it comes to elite talent so most of the squad will be away from the Etihad for the next week. They leave having kept a 100 per cent Premier League record on the back of a 5-1 victory over Fulham.
However, there is certain to be more planning going on ahead of Guardiolas return to the touchline. Here are three things he may consider over the next few days.
Rare Nunes opportunity
Perhaps initially Guardiola and step-in Juanma Lillo will look inwardly towards the players who remain. Matheus Nunes has not been picked for Portugal and so City will get the rare chance of helping a new summer signing bed in more directly, both on a work and personal level.
Nunes transfer came quite quickly so it will hand the midfielder some extra breathing space to take it all in. Several academy youngsters will be handed the opportunity to get the lions share of the senior coaching staffs attention and look to make an impression too.
Load management
Having quality players within the squad means they will likely get used prominently for their countries. City managed to bolster the depth of the squad in the final few weeks of the summer but Guardiola by no means has a deep roster.
With John Stones, Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish suffering varying degrees of injuries, City are only a couple more problems away from having their squad stretched. They have the quality to survive that, but a notable turnover of players in the summer means the equilibrium is more easily disrupted.
Fringe player performance
