Manchester City midfielder Tijjani Reijnders has urged his teammates to regroup and return to winning form when they face Wolves this Saturday.
The Blues have had a rocky start to 2026, securing only two victories in their last seven matches across all competitions, as they aim for their first Premier League win of the year following consecutive losses to Manchester United and Bodo/Glimt.
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City is currently grappling with a significant injury crisis throughout their squad, but Guardiola’s concerns have eased somewhat with the arrivals of Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi, both set to make their debuts against Wolves after missing out on the midweek clash in Norway due to UEFA Champions League squad registration restrictions.
Aside from a remarkable 10-1 win over Exeter in the FA Cup third round, Guardiola’s side has struggled to score in January, raising questions about whether the revamped Manchester City can still contend for trophies as the season progresses.
“We need to focus on the basics and win matches. That’s crucial and keeps our energy high. I’m confident we’ll turn things around,” Reijnders said in an interview with the club’s official channels ahead of the Wolves match.
“We possess a lot of talent. The way we ended 2025 with a strong run shows we can achieve that again. While we’ve lost some momentum, I believe we’ll regain it quickly.”
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In the past week, Manchester City has arguably delivered their worst back-to-back performances in nearly a decade under Guardiola, suffering disappointing defeats to Manchester United and Bodo/Glimt.
“We were heartbroken after losing to Manchester United; winning every derby is essential,” Reijnders reflected. “We didn’t foresee such a loss.”
“We must maintain our confidence. Fortunately, we have matches every three days, and we need to be prepared for Wolves. We must keep pushing.”
Guardiola is expected to make significant changes to his starting lineup against Wolves, with Semenyo likely to return and Guehi poised to start just five days after completing a £20 million move from Crystal Palace.
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City is currently without Mateo Kovacic, Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Matheus Nunes, Nico Gonzalez, and Savinho, with uncertainty surrounding Jeremy Doku’s fitness, as he remained on the bench in Norway without playing.
For title-challenging City, only a win will suffice against Wolves, especially with Arsenal set to face a challenging match at home against a resurgent Manchester United on Sunday evening.