Man City - 5 Things Pellegrini Needs To Change For The Hull Game

4. Centre Backs

Whilst City will be hoping that there are no repeats of the defensive injury crisis which marred last season's unsuccessful attempts to retain the Premier League crown, it appears as though Lady Luck isn't smiling down on them just yet this term. Matija Nastasic injured his ankle on the awful Hong Kong pitch in the Asia Trophy. Micah Richards then tweaked his hamstring just before the Newcastle game, where Vincent Kompany over-stretched his groin in the second-half, ruling him out for up to 6 weeks. This has left the Blues with the makeshift partnership of Joleon Lescott and Javi Garcia at the back €“ a rather insufficient combination. Fortunately, Nastasic appears to be in contention for a starting berth once again, whilst the club are also on the verge of bringing in further defensive reinforcements. Martin Demichelis is apparently almost a done deal, but it's unlikely that the former Malaga player will feature this weekend, and rumours are linking the club to a number of younger options, possibly with the intentions of increasing competition for the first-team spot, rather than just finding cover; a wise move, especially if the crisis persists.