The Blues still have a bloated squad, so much so that even without injured players Rodri, Phil Foden, Josko Gvardiol, Savinho and Mateo Kovacic they were able to name a strong squad for their season opener at Wolves.

The new Premier League season has started, and once again all eyes are on Manchester City, the team everyone fears, the team everyone measures themselves against. Pep Guardiola’s men are chasing history, fighting to defend their crown and prove that they are still the most dominant force in English football. But as the season opener arrived, one major storyline stood out. City entered their first game against Wolves without some of their biggest names – Rodri, Phil Foden, Josko Gvardiol, Savinho, and Mateo Kovacic were all missing through injury. For many clubs, losing five players of that quality would be a disaster. For most managers, it would trigger panic, late-night phone calls, and desperate tactical changes.

But not for Manchester City. Not for Guardiola. Not for the team with a squad so bloated, so filled with stars, that even without those absentees they were able to send out a starting XI that still looked like a team built to win the Premier League. That, in itself, tells the full story of Manchester City’s power. The fact that losing Rodri, the heartbeat of their midfield, or Phil Foden, the boy wonder from Stockport, or Gvardiol, one of the best young defenders in the world, or Savinho, the exciting Brazilian winger, or Kovacic, the experienced Croatian international, barely seemed to dent their strength is a statement. A statement that this is no ordinary squad – this is an empire built for dominance.

The image of City walking out at Molineux on opening day summed it up. Wolves, already nervous about facing the champions, looked across at the City lineup and saw nothing but world-class talent. Erling Haaland, the cyborg of goals, stood at the front. Kevin De Bruyne, the magician, was ready to dictate play. Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku, Julian Alvarez – all options for Guardiola, all capable of changing a game in a single moment. The bench was filled with players who would walk into the starting XI of almost every other team in the league. For Wolves, it must have felt like staring into the eyes of a machine built to destroy.

Yet, beneath the surface of this luxury lies a question. Is City’s squad simply too big, too bloated, too heavy even for Guardiola to manage smoothly? Pep has always been a coach who likes control, who wants every player to know their role and accept it. But with so many stars, with so many internationals, how do you keep everyone happy? How do you convince players like Rico Lewis, Sergio Gomez, or even Kalvin Phillips in the past, that they will get minutes when so many ahead of them are world-class? The opening game showed City’s strength, yes, but it also reopened the debate about whether Guardiola’s squad has grown too large.

Still, when the whistle blew against Wolves, the answers came quickly. City moved the ball as if nothing had changed. Their patterns, their confidence, their pressing – it was all there. Rodri was missing, yet they still controlled the midfield. Foden was missing, yet they still created chances. Gvardiol was missing, yet the defence stood tall. Savinho and Kovacic were absent, yet the bench still had attacking firepower and experienced midfielders. The truth is clear: City are so deep, so packed with talent, that they can lose five stars and still look like champions.

But let’s take a closer look at those absentees and what their injuries really mean.

Rodri is more than just a midfielder. He is the metronome of this City side. The man who controls the rhythm, who protects the defence, who steps up in the biggest games. Fans still remember his goal in the Champions League final that delivered the trophy City had chased for decades. Losing him, even for one game, is usually a nightmare scenario. Yet City lined up without him and still looked untouchable. That is frightening for the rest of the league.

Phil Foden, the golden boy, the player many believe will carry both City and England into a new era, was also out. His absence should have been a major blow. His creativity, his dribbling, his ability to unlock defences – all of it missing. And yet, Guardiola had replacements ready. He could call on Alvarez, De Bruyne, or even tweak the system to cover. Again, City barely blinked.

Josko Gvardiol, one of the most expensive defenders in history, was missing as well. Signed to secure City’s backline for the next decade, the Croatian is already considered among the best young defenders in world football. But without him, City still fielded a defence that most clubs would dream of. Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji – a backline filled with quality. Wolves never saw Gvardiol, but they still could not break through.

Savinho, the Brazilian winger who arrived with so much excitement after impressing in La Liga, also sat out. For most teams, losing a bright new signing would create a hole in the squad, but for City, it simply opened the door for Doku, for Grealish, for Alvarez to shine. Guardiola does not run out of options – he has too many of them

And finally, Mateo Kovacic, the Croatian midfielder signed from Chelsea. Experienced, calm, technically gifted – yet his absence barely registered. Why? Because City already had De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Matheus Nunes, and others to fill the midfield. Once again, the machine rolled on.

This is the frightening truth about Manchester City. Injuries that would cripple other clubs do not even scratch the surface here. Guardiola has built a squad where every position has at least two or three elite options. A squad where missing five players does not weaken them, it simply reshuffles them. For rivals like Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, or Manchester United, this is a nightmare scenario. How do you compete against a team that does not seem to have weaknesses?

And yet, with all this depth, comes the human side of football. Players want minutes, players want to feel important. Guardiola knows that keeping such a bloated squad happy is one of the hardest challenges he faces. Stars like Grealish, Alvarez, Doku, or even De Bruyne in certain rotations may have to sit on the bench some weeks. How do they react? How do they stay sharp mentally? That is the hidden battle Pep must fight this season.

Still, against Wolves, the statement was clear. Even without Rodri, Foden, Gvardiol, Savinho, and Kovacic, Manchester City were still strong enough to walk into another season looking like champions. The rest of the league will have watched that game and felt a chill. If this is City weakened, what will they look like at full strength?

Fans will argue about whether City’s dominance is good for football, whether it kills competition or simply raises the standard. But one thing is undeniable – this team is a machine, built to keep winning. Wolves felt it on opening day, and the rest of the Premier League knows their turn is coming.

And so, the story of the season begins. Manchester City, even with injuries, look unstoppable. The question now is simple: can anyone stop them? Or will Guardiola’s empire march on, bloated squad and all, towards yet another title?