Pep Guardiola has lost a Man City 'undroppable' at the worst possible time

"Right now, without Nathan we cannot play good."

It's not often Pep Guardiola puts one of his Manchester City players on such a pedestal yet with Nathan Ake he has not been able to stop showering him with praise. Whether it's complimenting his exemplary attitude for never complaining when he wasn't a regular or his excellent ability, Ake has clearly become one of the manager's most liked and important players.

"What they have to do is two things. Don't complain or there will be a problem," the manager said earlier in April when discussing what Kyle Walker and Aymeric Laporte need to do to get back into the side. "And try to do it better and better so when they need me, I will be ready. Look at Nathan this season. Last season he didn't play one minute and now he is undroppable. It happens.

Also read: Man City ratings as Rodri and Dias star

"Nobody has a guarantee with me. They have to earn it and sometimes we need a different shape for the way we build up or defend and some players adapt better than the other ones. It's simple. They take it personally but we are not against them, we just need something and try to use it."

The third thing Guardiola forgot to mention, though, is to be fit and available when those ahead of them in the starting XI pick up an injury. Which is exactly what sadly happened to Ake Wednesday night. It was the one dark cloud cast on an otherwise exceptional two-legged performance from the Blues, who sailed into the Champions League semi-finals with a 4-1 aggregate win over Bayern Munich.

But it came at a cost. Mid-way through the second half Ake stretched to collect the ball and immediately grasped for his hamstring and slumped to the floor. The injury was obvious and he then left the field.