Manchester City were without four first-team regulars in training on Thursday ahead of the New Year's Day trip to Arsenal.
Kyle Walker was a welcome returnee after missing the last four matchday squads with fitness issues, however, there appeared to be no sign of John Stones and Rodri in footage of training released by the club after the pair were absent from the last two games.
City have seized control of the Premier League title race, and can make it 11 league wins in a row with victory at the Emirates in the first fixture of 2022. They will know the importance of three points as rivals Liverpool and Chelsea play each other the following day, meaning at least one will drop more points in the title race.
Pep Guardiola was on hand to offer advice during a shooting drill as he put his players through their paces during the quick turnaround between the win at Brentford and the Arsenal trip.
We've looked over the footage and picked out the notable talking points:
Two players return
Kyle Walker was all smiles as he returned to training, and looked sharp as the squad took part in shooting and crossing drills. The right-back has missed the last four games, and was on the bench for the previous fixture having been sent off at RB Leipzig in his last outing almost a month ago.
Also back for City was youngster James McAtee, who appears to have overcome whatever issue has seen him miss some recent games for the first team and Elite Development Squad. Now, the attacking midfielder is back in contention and looked in good shape as he converted some smart finishes during the crossing drills.
Four players absent
There was no sign of John Stones or Rodri in the footage, with the pair having missed the last two games with injury. That could mean Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte continue in the centre of defence, with Nathan Ake an option after impressing at left-back against Brentford.
Rodri's absence throws up another issue, as Fernandinho may be required to deputise again for the third time in a week, while City fans may be concerned that Kevin De Bruyne and Joao Cancelo were also not spotted in the footage. Both could have been working elsewhere, or joined the group later, with players like Jack Grealish not appearing to take a full part in the session either.
Cancelo later revealed a shocking facial injury after being burgled at his home, which could put his involvement at Arsenal in doubt, although it's not clear whether the incident took place before or after the training session. City said they are supporting Cancelo and his family.
Guardiola's pep-talks
As four players - Ilkay Gundogan, Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez and Cole Palmer - took turns to shoot against Zack Steffen in a drill, they were watched closely by their manager, who was giving them plenty of advice.
Guardiola could be heard saying: "quality, quality, quicker, where is the movement?" and: "enjoy the pleasure to score, to feel the ball to shoot... good goal," as Gundogan finished well.
Other quick-fire messages from Guardiola as the players continued their shots included: "short passes, relax," and: "that is the one, difficult situation, no time, opening, attack, quick."
Later, as Cole Palmer ran into the box to meet a cross, Guardiola told him to wait and hold his run for the ball to come to him, before he met it perfectly and finished well.
Carson catches the eye
Scott Carson is a popular figure in the City squad, and he showed his value as a good goalkeeper as players combined to work a crossing opportunity for two others in the box. There were plenty of good headers and strikes on show as Carson and Zack Steffen rotated in goal, with Carson encouraging the outfield players when he was watching the drill.
And when it was his turn to keep the goals out, Carson pulled off one save in particular that drew plenty of vocal praise from the watching coaches and players. He's still got it.
City training squad confirmed
These were the 20 players spotted in training footage on Thursday:
Ederson, Carson, Steffen, Dias, Laporte, Ake, Walker, Zinchenko, Mbete, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Bernardo, McAtee, Foden, Grealish, Palmer, Mahrez, Sterling, Jesus, Kayky
